It's illigal to play games

[KingBeast 0]

BBC

Something about the planespotters here, but thats about all. Apparently barely any greeks even know about the planespotters as it wasnt really made very public.

[KingBeast 0]

This one is better

At Luton airport, plane-spotter Michael Bursell told BBC News that he was determined to overturn this "miscarriage of justice," despite spiralling legal costs.

"I am an innocent man except I now have a criminal record," he said.

[Guest]

CNN articles

I think they got the least punishment possible by low for espionage. Usually such things mean lifetime in prison.

I think that it was a slap on the fingers and that it will prevent future plane spotters to commit the same offence.

[KingBeast 0]

But they were at an airshow :/ When i go to airshows, I fully expect to take pictures of everything, possibly I would even bring binoculars.

They may be charged with espionage, but hardly think it is even close to being such. Do you seriously think they were spies out to do no good?

[ralphwiggum 6]

who knows?

they even had a dutch printout that warned them about Greece not happy about planespotting, they were arrested and released before, and some planes they noted/took picture of were not accessible.

from Greek's perspective, they don't know if the planespotters were spys or not.

[Guest]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (KingBeast @ Aug. 31 2002,19:39)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">But they were at an airshow :/ When i go to airshows, I fully expect to take pictures of everything, possibly I would even bring binoculars.

They may be charged with espionage, but hardly think it is even close to being such. Do you seriously think they were spies out to do no good?<span id='postcolor'>

It is not a question of them looking at planes. The thing was that they had detailed records of take-offs and landings of three different airbases in Greece. They only had permission to be at one of them.

[KingBeast 0]

Well, as the article itself says, i believe it to be Very Hard justice, if justice at all. I know for one that if I had a mild mannered uncle that enjoyed the occasional mug of weak lemon drink aswell as spotting planes, and that mild mannered anorak of an uncle got arrested, it would feel quite unreal and very unfair.

I feel sorry for the plane spotters families, especially seeing as they are all just a bunch of harmless enthusiasts that havent comitted any kind of dangerous/malicious crime. They got jail sentences longer than some thieves and robbers get. Is that fair?

Fools should not be punished for being fools, no sirree bob. Thats my two pennies.

[ralphwiggum 6]

for planespotter's it a hobby.

for Greek military, it's a security threat.

[Guest]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (KingBeast @ Aug. 31 2002,19:47)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I feel sorry for the plane spotters families, especially seeing as they are all just a bunch of harmless enthusiasts that havent comitted any kind of dangerous/malicious crime. They got jail sentences longer than some thieves and robbers get. Is that fair?<span id='postcolor'>

Due to Greece's tense relation to Turkey it is hardly a harmless crime they commited. As I said, the information was probably not dangerous as long as just the plane spotters had it, but there was no guarantee that they would not spread it around, right?

This is a matter of national security. I wouldn't advise you to do what they did in any country in the world, including the UK.

[KingBeast 0]

Then the same must apply to trainspotters. Logistic movements within a country could be useful information to a countries foes. And there are many many many more trainspotters than plane spotters. I just think its silly. Perhaps the greeks should spend more time on investigating real threats instead of making an example of a handful of harmless tourists.

[ralphwiggum 6]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (KingBeast @ Aug. 31 2002,19:52)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Then the same must apply to trainspotters. Logistic movements within a country could be useful information to a countries foes. And there are many many many more trainspotters than plane spotters. I just think its silly. Perhaps the greeks should spend more time on investigating real threats instead of making an example of a handful of harmless tourists.<span id='postcolor'>

of course. except now most logistics are moved with planes. i seldom saw train moving important logistics on train thesedays.

furthermore, planespotting at an airbase not only reveals logistics, but also firepower. so Greek military has every right to go after them, when they step out of the boundary.

[Warin 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (KingBeast @ Aug. 31 2002,19:52)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Then the same must apply to trainspotters. Logistic movements within a country could be useful information to a countries foes. And there are many many many more trainspotters than plane spotters. I just think its silly. Perhaps the greeks should spend more time on investigating real threats instead of making an example of a handful of harmless tourists.<span id='postcolor'>

Apples and oranges!  There is a vast difference between box cars and fighter jets!  I doubt El Al would throw anyone in jail for counting tail numbers on jet airliners.  What we are dealing with is military aircraft.  And that totally changes the game.

As was pointed out, if this had happened in any country, the reaction would have been similar.

[Warin 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (RalphWiggum @ Aug. 31 2002,19:56)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (KingBeast @ Aug. 31 2002,19:52)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Then the same must apply to trainspotters. Logistic movements within a country could be useful information to a countries foes. And there are many many many more trainspotters than plane spotters. I just think its silly. Perhaps the greeks should spend more time on investigating real threats instead of making an example of a handful of harmless tourists.<span id='postcolor'>

of course. except now most logistics are moved with planes. i seldom saw train moving important logistics on train thesedays.

furthermore, planespotting at an airbase not only reveals logistics, but also firepower. so Greek military has every right to go after them, when they step out of the boundary.<span id='postcolor'>

Heh. Do you live near a major rail line?

Rail is still the cheapest way to move commodities. I am willing to bet the US Army moves more by rail in a week than by airlift in a month. I'm not talking about fast reaction forces. I am talking food, ammunition, uniforms, etc that have to be moved to and fro on a regular basis.

[ralphwiggum 6]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Warin @ Aug. 31 2002,20:26)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Heh. Do you live near a major rail line?

Rail is still the cheapest way to move commodities.  I am willing to bet the US Army moves more by rail in a week than by airlift in a month.   I'm not talking about fast reaction forces.  I am talking food, ammunition, uniforms, etc that have to be moved to and fro on a regular basis.<span id='postcolor'>

well, i live about 10 miles from a railline that stretches from east of Los Angeles to whereever eastward it goes.

but maybe you are right. since there are no military base near my place, maybe i never saw one.

[Gollum1 0]

Throwing them in prison might be very harsh (come on, you actually think they were spies?)

But anyone that stupid deserves it!

REALLY.

[theavonlady 2]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Warin @ Aug. 31 2002,21:12)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I doubt El Al would throw anyone in jail for counting tail numbers on jet airliners.<span id='postcolor'>

The tail counters would very likely be tailed themselves.

[Mister Frag 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Gollum1 @ Aug. 31 2002,12:16)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Throwing them in prison might be very harsh (come on, you actually think they were spies?)

But anyone that stupid deserves it!

REALLY.<span id='postcolor'>

Rules are rules, and the authorities really don't have a lot of leeway in interpreting the law.

Also, the spotters were warned at least once before that if they came back, they would be arrested and charged. It's pretty stupid to ignore such a warning and do it anyway.

[Col. Kurtz 0]

Come on Denoir, read the writing on the wall, this thread went way off topic about 4 pages ago! Change the name of the thread or make a new one.

[ralphwiggum 6]

back on topic:

as long as techies make programs faster than legislature bodies, then there isn't much to worry about.

but if the case is like this, then the law will become obsolete in private place. for public place, it's going to be upheld. but in private, no way.(unless you are running a LAN party)

[animalica 0]

Use this link if you want the greek parliament to share your thoughts on this:

http://www.parliament.gr/english/contact/default.htm

This is what I sent them:

Topic:

Bans of any form of “electric, electro-mechanical and electronic†game devices, including computers.

What`s going on in Greece?

Is the cradle of democracy turning into a fascist state?

Pursuing criminals is good, but not drastic limiting the rights of non guilty civics.

That`s shooting sparrows with cannons.

Even in Nazi Germany something like this wouldn`t happened.

My support of greek goods, tourism etc will be on halt until this ridiculous law is improved to a level of normal human sense.

Greetings from Germany

Greek Government - the Taliban of Europe. :mad:

[red oct 2]

heh maybe we should do a underground network of smuggling illeagle video games into Greece. simply send me a bag full of american dollars (+ intrest) to my home address in a brown envalope (leave a return address on the envalope) along w/ a list of the game(s) you want along w/ extra cash for gas for the car and shiping and handling fee. i will than trot on down to my local walmart store and purchase your merchandice and send them to you w/ the reciept in the same package you sent.

[Espectro (DayZ) 0]

Isnt it a bit sarcastic how the mods in this thread is going more and more offtopic?

And to get ontopic.... Its just a way of getting money into their country. Many danes have gotten incredible large fines for having cellphones, gameboys etc. into Greece in this summer.

[Hit_Sqd_Maximus 0]

Some of the oriental countries banned chewing gum But they still allow pigeons there