球迷行納粹禮被罰2500英鎊
在倫敦奧運會男籃立陶宛對尼日利亞的比賽中，一名立陶宛男子因向場內行納粹禮而被警方逮捕並處2500英鎊的罰款。他也由此成爲本屆奧運會因爲種族歧視行爲受罰的第一人。當地治安法院瞭解到，這名男子與其他一些立陶宛觀衆一直在觀衆席上發出噪音，行爲也頗具攻擊性，尼日利亞隊員拿球時他們還會模仿猴子叫聲。而這名男子則對警方表示，在他們國家，人們就是這樣慶祝的。目前，他已承認自己的種族歧視行爲。除2500英鎊的罰款外，他還需支付85英鎊的訴訟費用。受理此案的法官表示，他行納粹禮對到所有那些曾在大屠殺中失去了生命的人們是一種侮辱，也不相信這種行爲會被立陶宛人民所接受；如果不繳納罰款的話，他將入獄28天。
A Lithuanian man who gave a Nazi salute during an Olympic basketball match has become the first person to be convicted of a racially aggravated offence at the Games and fined £2,500. He was told that his behavior and that of other Lithuanian fans was "despicable".
Petras Lescinskas, 36, an accountant from Lithuania, was arrested on Tuesday at the Olympic basketball arena during the Lithuania-Nigeria match. Stratford magistrates court was told that he and other Lithuanian supporters had been behaving in such a loud and aggressive manner that other spectators moved away from them. There were "monkey-style noises when Nigerian players had the ball", the court heard.
Becky Owen, prosecuting, told the court. "He was seen to make a Nazi salute," while placing his fingers across his lips. Lescinskas, a married man who had come to London for the Games, told police after his arrest that it was common practice in his country to celebrate in that way and it was something he has been doing for some time the court was told.
He pleaded guilty to a racially aggravated offence under the Public Order Act. He said, through his lawyer, that he was "deeply embarrassed" and "deeply remorseful" about what he had done.
Fining him £2,500 plus £85 costs, district judge Sonia Sims told him: "This type of conduct tarnishes the whole ethos of the Games." She said that his Nazi salute had been an insult to all those who had lost their lives in the Holocaust and his behavior was "despicable."
She said she did not accept that what he had done was acceptable in Lithuania. He was told that he would serve 28 days in prison if he failed to pay the fine.
Undercover police were at the basketball arena after complaints about the behavior of Lithuanian fans in their previous match against Argentina on Sunday.
