Pope satirist convicted in Poland

[emad]

BBC


One of Poland's best known newspaper editors has been fined $6,500 (£3,457) for criticising Pope John Paul II.

A court in Warsaw found Jerzy Urban guilty of insulting a head of state by writing a satirical article on the eve of the pontiff's 2002 visit to Poland.

Mr Urban insisted he was exercising the right to free expression.

Ahead of the trial, the press freedom group Reporters without Borders said a prosecution would set a "dangerous precedent" for a European Union state.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4204911.stm

[emad]

1. Reference to Opus Dei kinky sex cult?

"In his article, titled Walking Sadomasochism, Mr Urban referred to the Pope's frailty, describing him as "the Brezhnev of the Vatican" and an "impotent old man". "

(Self-whipping and mortification of the flesh is the OD No1 fetish)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4204911.stm

[sui generis]

2. well people of poland

you need to change some of your medieval laws. You are no longer serfs. You are allowed to criticize your political leaders now.

[arwalden]

3. That's Not Unlike How Some Duers React...

... when the Pope is criticized or scorned for his words or policies.

[emad]

5. Associated Press story comments that this might put Poland in

the firing line now that it's an EU member - where freedom of speech reigns paramount over the ridiculous proposal of "incitement to religious hatred" legislation that the Blessed Poodle Blair is being invoked to enact....

[emad]

4. Polish publisher punished for poke at pope (AP)

Snip:
“The court has no doubts that intending to ridicule the church, Jerzy Urban ridiculed and derided the pope,” Judge Barbara Laskowska said, reading the verdict.

He was found guilty of violating a law that bans publicly insulting foreign heads of state. The court noted that the pontiff heads the Vatican, formally an independent state.

Urban, 71, had professed his innocence, saying he only exercised the right to free expression. Prosecutors had asked for the fine and a 10-month suspended prison term.

..................

Last week, the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders, warned that Poland would violate European Union guarantees of freedom of expression if it sentenced Urban for defaming the pope.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6866071/

[arwalden]

6. Particular Polish Political People PassionatelyPrefer Public Pope Praising

Preventing predominanatly peculiar Papal nit-picking is plainly a popular pursuit. Perhaps polite pleasant Polish people partially permit private parsing of Papal policy. Privately it's a precarious pastime. Purely public picking at Papal politics is probably precluded if not positively prohibited.

Prior to putting pen to paper, prudent persons prearranging permission and preapproval, possibly provide precious personal protection. Passively preaching practical personal principles, or public parleys, or papal parody, or puns and pranks produce prompt prolific and pitiless punishment of the publishers.

[genieroze]

7. Now say that ten time quickly. eom

[daleo]

10. Perfect. n/t

[arwalden]

11. Pleasing Practical People Provides Powerful Personal Pleasure.

:hi:

[emad]

15. Polish peasant politics perpetuate prolific piffle on papal poodleism.

Pff........

[Orsino]

8. We must invade now!

We cannot wait for the smoking gun to come in the form of an SNL skit.

[VegasWolf]

9. doesn't the littlest emperor wish he had that power here?n/t

[David__77]

12. Wonderful so-called "democrats"--they are theocrats.

The US right and labor sell-outs applauded Solidarity "trade union" and now we can see the rancid fruit of these right-wingers. Perhaps some Poles are thinking the pre-1989 way wasn't so bad.

[muriel_volestrangler]

13. What happens when they feel the need to insult Bush?

He's another head of state - and insulting that dickhead is unavoidable. You see? That's a law that definitely needs removing.

[andlor]

14. Give me a breake...

Urban, one of Poland's best soviet union and communist system lover.
He is best known exercising his rights (from the far left-same to ours far right) in the communist news before 1991.
In other words polish bob novak.