Man fined for sitting on bench[Germany-you can't sit at playground w/o being accompanied by a child]

Ananova ^ | 07:49 Friday 8th August 2003

[yonif]

A court in Germany has ordered a man to pay 75 euro for sitting on a park bench.

The man was sitting on the bench in the Botanical Garden in Munich when he was approached by police.

They told him he couldn't sit on the bench, next to a playground, unless he was accompanied by a child.

He later received a letter telling him to pay a 150 euro fine, but went to court.

The court heard the regulation had been established to protect playing children against drug addicts and prostitutes, who frequently come to the garden.

But the man said his only interest in the playground was to see whether it would be a nice place to take his daughter to on a planned weekend visit.

The judge offered to end the court case if the man paid 75 euro to a charity, which he accepted.

But he was still stunned at paying such a high price to sit down, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung reports.

"There weren't even any children around," he told the paper.

[jjbrouwer]

incredably [sic]

Are you typing in German now...?

[ItsTheMediaStupid]

A true sign of a jerk without a good defense, is to point out a spelling, grammer, or typo error.

[jjbrouwer]

grammar

[rrrod]

german society is goosing stepping right along..again

[Chancellor Palpatine]

But the man said his only interest in the playground was to see whether it would be a nice place to take his daughter to on a planned weekend visit.

Yeah, sure.

[ItsTheMediaStupid]

Yep, I am a bad speller and this site has no spell checker. So what?

[irish guard]

>>>>>>>.I wonder how much this guy already paid for that bench in tax money.<<<<<<<

Not to mention the tight a$$ed cop who had nothing better to do than write the citation in the first place.......sounds an awful like certain Germans never lost their penchant for asking for ones papers...and if they are not in order...off you go!

[jjbrouwer]

By the way, what is a "a faciest state"...?

[ItsTheMediaStupid]

But the man said his only interest in the playground was to see whether it would be a nice place to take his daughter to on a planned weekend visit.

Yeah, sure.

I have sat on a bench and enjoyed watching children play. You almost have to have a dirty mind to think someone watching childern play is a molester. I do think this type of law is too restrictive, and typical of a socailistic government like Germany. However, I don't think Germans are a bad people, just ill informed. Perhaps we need to get a conservative radio free Europe!

[ItsTheMediaStupid]

By the way, what is a "a faciest state"...?

You just can't help proving that you are a compleate Ah##e can you?

[jjbrouwer]

compleate

I wonder if you could type a "compleate" sentence without demonstrating just how fragile your grip on the English language is.

[ItsTheMediaStupid]

I wonder if you could type a "compleate" sentence without demonstrating just how fragile your grip on the English language is.

And I wonder when you will get how much fun I am having proving that you are a complete jerk!

[jjbrouwer]

You have certainly successfully proved that one of us is a complete jerk...

[Rebelbase]

"I am a grown man who likes to visit playgrounds and parks unaccompanied"

Pervert

[ItsTheMediaStupid]

Its so obvious.

[ItsTheMediaStupid]

Have you noticed the older people who watch chidren play at parks. I doubt many of them are perverts. You would almost have to be a pervert to think they were.

[SaveTheChief]

Evidently this law was designed to avoid the police having to "profile" park visitors. It would be soooo wrong for the cops to peg somebody as a prostitute or drug addict and shoo them out of the park. So they make it illegal for anyone to sit on a bench without a child present.

With such "zero tolerance" laws and regulations in force, it's no wonder that "Common Sense" committed suicide.

...COMING SOON TO AN AMERICAN CITY NEAR YOU!

You've seen it work in the airports, as suspecting federal employees shake down grandmothers and elderly in wheelchairs. You've seen former servicemen proudly wearing the American Flag have their property searched. Yes kids, now it is time to be arrested or fined simply for being in a public park.

This will make me think twice about going to the local shopping mall again, given the age of the average shopper.

[jjbrouwer]

You really have zero sense of humour.

[ItsTheMediaStupid]

Not being funny here.

[petitfour]

Lots of old folks enjoy sitting on benches in parks next to playgrounds. It reminds them of their children and grandchildren. Does that make them perverts?

I hate to go to parks where there are a bunch of teenage children hanging around. They are mostly disrespectful (not always), and they do not care about the equipment nor the little ones attempting to use the equipment. They don't care if there's a sign that says, "NO SKATEBOARDS, ROLLER BLADES," etc. They will do whatever they want to do.