Danish Pizza Shop Owner Faces Charges and Fines

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CZ-75

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2971691.stm



Mr Bjerre wants France and Germany to see the error of their ways
The owner of a pizzeria in Denmark who refused to serve German and French customers because of their countries' stance over the Iraq war has been charged with racial discrimination.

Aage Bjerre, who owns Aage's Pizza in Nordby on the tourist island of Fanoe, faces a 5,000-kroner ($740) fine if found guilty.

Mr Bjerre told the Danish Ritzau news agency he did not intend to pay the fine and would rather go to prison.

He has also refused to remove signs outside his establishment saying German and French people are "not wanted".

"Other people can take them down, I won't," he said, adding he had received "hundreds of letters of support and packages containing souvenirs from every state in the United States".

He said he had been sent "only a dozen negative letters from Germany".

However, many local residents on the island have protested against his boycott and his restaurant has been vandalised on a number of occasions.

'Disloyal'

When he first imposed the ban, Mr Bjerre said he was tired of French and German attitudes toward the United States, calling them "disloyal" and "anti-American".

Germany and France led international opposition to the war against Iraq, while Denmark sided with the US.

French customers are banned for life from the restaurant "because they are cowards" whereas German patrons will be only be barred for as long as their government is "disloyal" to the Americans, Mr Bjerre said.

The island is a popular spot with tourists from neighbouring Germany, but there are few French visitors to Fanoe who has a year-round population of 3,300.
 
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Although I think that Mr. Bjerre's actions were stupid and ill-informed, the fact remains that it is HIS shop. Not the states. He has the right to serve or decline to serve anyone, for any reason.

Bad precedent to set (although knowing Europe, it probably already has...)

- Chris
 
There is only one race, Human.

Humans can produce offspring from any other humans on the planet which makes us one race.

The proper term is ethnicity. The word ethnicity doesn't sound powerful enough to make people afraid of discrimination.

Anyway, good for this guy if he can stay in business by only allowing 4ft tall Spanish acrobats then so be it.

Who is this person actually hurting?
 
Neal Boortz announced on the radio the other day that he would be willing to pay the fine. If that's not enough then I'd be willing to kick in a few bucks.
 
Neal also made some noise about bringing the guy to the US for a paid vacation. Haven't heard a thing yet about that.
 
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