球迷行纳粹礼被罚2500英镑

在伦敦奥运会男篮立陶宛对尼日利亚的比赛中，一名立陶宛男子因向场内行纳粹礼而被警方逮捕并处2500英镑的罚款。他也由此成为本届奥运会因为种族歧视行为受罚的第一人。当地治安法院了解到，这名男子与其他一些立陶宛观众一直在观众席上发出噪音，行为也颇具攻击性，尼日利亚队员拿球时他们还会模仿猴子叫声。而这名男子则对警方表示，在他们国家，人们就是这样庆祝的。目前，他已承认自己的种族歧视行为。除2500英镑的罚款外，他还需支付85英镑的诉讼费用。受理此案的法官表示，他行纳粹礼对到所有那些曾在大屠杀中失去了生命的人们是一种侮辱，也不相信这种行为会被立陶宛人民所接受；如果不缴纳罚款的话，他将入狱28天。

A Lithuanian man who gave a Nazi salute during an Olympic basketball match has become the first person to be convicted of a racially aggravated offence at the Games and fined £2,500. He was told that his behavior and that of other Lithuanian fans was "despicable".

Petras Lescinskas, 36, an accountant from Lithuania, was arrested on Tuesday at the Olympic basketball arena during the Lithuania-Nigeria match. Stratford magistrates court was told that he and other Lithuanian supporters had been behaving in such a loud and aggressive manner that other spectators moved away from them. There were "monkey-style noises when Nigerian players had the ball", the court heard.

Becky Owen, prosecuting, told the court. "He was seen to make a Nazi salute," while placing his fingers across his lips. Lescinskas, a married man who had come to London for the Games, told police after his arrest that it was common practice in his country to celebrate in that way and it was something he has been doing for some time the court was told.

He pleaded guilty to a racially aggravated offence under the Public Order Act. He said, through his lawyer, that he was "deeply embarrassed" and "deeply remorseful" about what he had done.

Fining him £2,500 plus £85 costs, district judge Sonia Sims told him: "This type of conduct tarnishes the whole ethos of the Games." She said that his Nazi salute had been an insult to all those who had lost their lives in the Holocaust and his behavior was "despicable."

She said she did not accept that what he had done was acceptable in Lithuania. He was told that he would serve 28 days in prison if he failed to pay the fine.

Undercover police were at the basketball arena after complaints about the behavior of Lithuanian fans in their previous match against Argentina on Sunday.