An affront to human dignity
The Commissar
links to a landmark decision by the European Court of Justice. This august body ruled that "The affront to human dignity posed by that activity justifies a restriction on the freedom to provide services."
The activity in question? Laser-Tag
The event that precipitated this:
bq. Police in the German city of Bonn in 1994 had prohibited a German company, Omega Spielhallen-und Automatenaustellungs-GmbH, from operating a Laserdrome, a game developed and marketed by a British supplier.
bq. German authorities argued that "acts of simulated homicide and the ensuing trivialization of violence" violated the principle of human dignity enshrined in the German constitution.
Gimme a break... Laser tag is fun and a great way to blow off some steam.
Also, note that the initial police action happened in 1994 and the EU Court decision is in 2004 -- wheels of justice grind fast over there...
One of the Commissar's readers left this wonderful comment:
bq. I think this German movement to protect people from imaginary harm needs a logo. I suggest they should borrow something simple and symmetrical from Asia, then maybe turn it backwards or something to make it unique.
Heh...
Posted by DaveH at October 15, 2004 10:23 AM