近日,一張法國男子用法國國旗擦屁股的照片令法國民眾感到愕然和憤怒。照片中,一名男子背對著鏡頭,褲子堆在腳踝處,一面法國國旗擋在臀部,可以看得出他是在用國旗擦屁股。法國司法部長稱這種侮辱國旗的行為是不可接受的,并下令對該行為人訴諸于法律。這張照片最初出現(xiàn)在法國媒體零售商FNAC的攝影比賽上,被評為“政治錯(cuò)誤”獎(jiǎng),后被法國免費(fèi)報(bào)紙《地鐵報(bào)》刊出。在老兵組織的抗議下,這張照片被迅速撤下。法國法律規(guī)定,在私人或者文化活動中侮辱國旗的行為不算犯罪。對此,法國司法部長認(rèn)為,法律應(yīng)該有權(quán)力懲罰這樣的行為,既然目前的法律條文中沒有這樣的規(guī)定,那么就應(yīng)該修改法律。
The French government is demanding the prosecution of a man photographed wiping his bottom on the national flag. |
France's justice minister has called for legal action to be taken against a man who was photographed wiping his bottom with the French flag.
Michele Alliot-Marie said it was unacceptable for the tricolor to be insulted in this way, and called for those responsible to be prosecuted.
Her response came after the photograph was displayed in a competition run by the media retailer, FNAC.
The image won a special mention in the "politically incorrect" category.
Taken on the street, the photograph shows a man seen from behind: his trousers are around his ankles and he is apparently wiping his bottom with a French flag.
Law-change call
The picture appeared last month in Metro, a free national newspaper, and was hastily withdrawn from the contest in the southern city of Nice after complaints from veterans' groups.
"As soon as we saw that people were shocked by the image, we withdrew it from the list of winners, with the photographer's consent, and we have not exhibited it," said a FNAC spokeswoman.
The government got involved after being alerted by a local MP, says a reporter in Paris.
But under French law, it is only an offence to insult the flag in an event organized by the public authorities - not in a private, cultural event such as this.
Ms Alliot-Marie said the law should be changed.
"Presumably the law has the legal means to punish such an intolerable act against the French flag," said the minister's spokesman.
"If the existing law proves incomplete in this regard, it should be revised."
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(Agencies)
(中國日報(bào)網(wǎng)英語點(diǎn)津 Helen 編輯)