Greek Flag on Sale Outside Utrecht Theater

By Nicky Mariam Onti on January 18, 2013

 


A Greek flag seven meters long with the sale stamp on it, indicating Greece is sold out, was considered good advertising for the Dutch impresario who decided to display it outside his theater to attract the Greek audience.
Thirty Greeks from Utrecht had already warned the Dutch impresario that his act is a total insult to Greece, stressing that: “We love our flag but remove the word SALE from it”. The impresario responded by telling them: “Its cost is 2,000 euros. It is very expensive to ask me to remove it.”

The owner of the only Greek-Dutch website in the area(www.greekevents.nl), who also lives in Utrecht, John Garlemos, stated to the newspaper Protothema: “We even called a Turk who lives in Utrecht and asked him what he thinks at the sight of our flag and the man was literally disgusted, yelling that this in an actual humiliation of Greece.”
Some of the 30 Greeks who had gathered outside the theater undertook to tear down the word SALE from the flag while the Dutch impresario remained locked in his office, for fear of a serious outbreak outside the theater. “He didn’t even venture out even for one moment. He just called the police and when they came they arrested the children who had been tearing down the filthiness that was written on our flag,”explained Garlemos.
Three Greeks spent the night in jail and a trial date has been set for Jan. 24. The Greek Consulate of Utrecht showed interest mainly for those outside the theater on the night of Jan. 11, and invited them to the consulate to express their displeasure.