Pastitsios the Elder, a satire of Greek monk Paisios.
A Greek law that punishes blasphemy against “the holy” has landed the creator of a satiric Facebook page in prison, at least temporarily.
Facebook removed the humorous page, that depicted “Pastitsios the Elder” – a mockery of a popular late Greek monk by the name of Paisios.
Pastitsio is a Greek pasta and ground beef dish, and for several weeks over Facebook and Twitter, the creator of the Geron (elder) Pastitsios page delivered satiric content, depicting the monk eating the popular dish.
Surprisingly, the right-wing party Golden Dawn (Hrisi Avgi) raised the matter at the Greek parliament on September 18; following that, the Greek police force investigating online crimes located the Facebook page’s creator, a 27 year old man from the island of Evia.
Part of the satiric Facebook page that led to the arrest of its creator.
Following the man’s arrest there is a petition asking for his release, on the ground of freedom of speech.
“Free ‘GeronPastitsios’ and abolish Greek anti-blasphemy laws! A bitter blow for freedom of expression in Greece: 27 year old internet user was arrested and charged for blasphemy because he ran a facebook page that satirised a renown Greek Orthodox monk.
We, the citizens of the world and advocates for free speech, demand the immediate release of the accused and we urge the Greek Parliament to abolish the Greek anti-blasphemy laws.
If Greece wishes to be a part of the modern globalized world it must adhere to the standards and principles of a free nation where its people have the right to have a free and open dialogue about all subjects. Discussion, debate, and action are the basic building blocks of a free society.”
The Greek anti-blasphemy law dates back in the 1920’s!
In an ironic twist of fate, Frank Schilling owns both Pastitsio.com and GoldenDawn.com.
