France cancels ‘unconstitutional’ genocide denial ban; ignores identical existing law(s)

On 28th February 2012, the Constitutional Council of France cancelled the law against genocide denial; or, as Hürriyet Daily News (@HDNER) put it, the Constitutional Council cancelled the law against “‘genocide’ denial“. The Council ruled that the law was ‘contrary to the Constitution [contraire à la Constitution]’.

Beschreibungen der 77 Artefakte aus dem Museum der Geschichte der Antiken Olympischen Spiele, Olympia, Griechenland gewohlen

Hier sind die Beschreibungen der 77 antike Artefakte, die aus dem Museum der Geschichte der Antiken Olympischen Spiele, in Olympia, Griechenland gestohlen wurden. Es tut mir leid. Diese Übersetzung wird vor allem durch Google Übersetzer getan.

Wenn Sie irgendwelche Informationen über den Kunstraub haben, kontaktieren Sie bitte die griechische Polizei: financialpolice@hellenicpolice.gr

descriptions de la 77 objets anciens qui ont été volés du Musée de l’Histoire des Jeux Olympiques Antiques, Olympie, Grèce

Voici les descriptions de la 77 des objets anciens qui ont été volés du Musée de l’Histoire des Jeux Olympiques Antiques à Olympie, en Grèce. Je suis désolé. Cette traduction est faite principalement par Google Traduction.

Si vous avez des informations sur le vol, s’il vous plaît communiquer avec la police grecque: financialpolice@hellenicpolice.gr

Herakleion Archaeological Museum: closed in 2006 for two years’ renovation; still closed now…

Herakleion Archaeological Museum in Crete is one of the most important museums in Greece, even internationally. It has a beautiful collection from the famous archaeological site of Knossos. Before the crisis, the museum attracted 295,000 tourists a year; and the site attracted up to 700,000.

At least during the summer months, even the replacement temporary exhibition attracted 800-1,200 visitors a day; but there was and is a temporary collection, because the museum has been closed since 13th November 2006.

Geroulanos to ‘exhaust all avenues’ in Olympia case; and absorb all flak for systemic heritage security problems

As blogged on Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues and Things You Can’t Take Back, Culture Minister Pavlos Geroulanos’s offer to resign has been rejected; or, at least, it has ‘not been accepted‘ (yet). Rather, Papademos has asked Geroulanos ‘to “exhaust all avenues” in the probe’ (to absorb all the flak for the robbery and the investigation).

Police detain suspect for Olympia museum robbery

Kathimerini has just reported that police have ‘detained’ a ‘foreign national’ on suspicion of involvement in the armed robbery of the Museum of the History of the Olympic Games.

Update (2nd March 2012): apparently, the perpetrators ‘remain at large’; so, the police did not have any forensic evidence (either fingerprints or DNA, either at or near the scene of the crime); and the guard did not identify the suspect detained by the police (if he was a suspect rather than an informant).

I have left the following blog post as it was after the 25th February update.

‘They put a chimpanzee mask on the statue of Andreas Papandreou’

Imprisoned then exiled by the Metaxa dictatorship; possible member of pro-democracy military conspiracy ASPIDA; imprisoned then exiled by the Colonels’ junta; author of Democracy at Gunpoint; founder of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK); founder of the National Health System; leader of a government of deficit and debt, patronage and clientelism, and rousfeti (reciprocal favouritism); leader of a government of budgetary control; not guilty of state embezzlement (thanks to his lawyer, his son’s austerity-minded finance minister Evangelos Venizelos); the most popular prime minister since the restoration of democracy…

[Updated with news and comment on 3rd March 2012]

Olympic Museum robbery: a professional heist for stuff that was not in the museum…?

The story is everywhere – TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, NGOs, blogs… – and this blog is getting even more hits for the objects’ descriptions and photographs than it is for the account of their robbery. But with all of the investigation and scrutiny, the evidence is confusing; and the state is confused.

photos of the 77 artefacts stolen from the Olympic Museum, Olympia, Greece

I have explored the case of the Olympic Museum robbery; and translated the Greek Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s notice, and the descriptions (and dimensions) of the stolen artefacts. Here, I have reproduced the photographic records of the objects missing from the museum in Olympia.

descriptions of the 77 artefacts stolen from the Olympic Museum, Olympia, Greece

I have discussed the robbery of the museum in Olympia, and posted photo records of the missing objects, elsewhere. (The original photo catalogue is available on the Ministry’s website (DOC).) Here, I have translated the Greek Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s appeal for information, and the descriptions (and dimensions) of the stolen artefacts. (Hat tip, To Irakliotiko Steki, who posted a plain-text copy of the Greek-language list; I have copied-and-pasted it below.)