No Fishing
Published by deviousdiva March 11th, 2008 in Civil Rights.I am not a fan of fishing and don’t really understand the joys of this hobby/sport/pastime but did you know that in Greece, you cannot get a fishing permit if you are American, Canadian, Australian, Albanian or a non-European Union national (including tourists and permanent residents) ?
Genci Hoxha, who is from Albania but has lived here for 10 years, went to the Greek ombudsman to complain. He spoke to the Athens News:
I’ve always loved fishing and thought I would start fishing at the weekend. I went out and bought fishing gear and started asking about how to get a fishing permit. A friend of mine told me that it was very easy and issued on the spot. But officials refused to issue me the permit because I’m from Albania. I don’t think this is fair
The Greek ombudsman agrees with him.
It is a violation of article 4 of the Greek penal code, which says foreigners enjoy the same civil rights as natives, as well as article 5 (free development of personality) of the Greek constitution
For others who enjoy fishing but cannot do it in Greece, I think Mr. Hoxha sums it up:
It’s very discouraging. I’ve been living in Greece legally for 10 years and it’s been an uphill struggle getting my residence permit. It’s a disappointment that I have to fight to get something so simple as a fishing permit
Technorati: greece, civil rights, ombudsman, fishing permit
eh? a what now? I’ve never heard of a fishing permit. Even I have been fishing. I think if I asked my man if he had a fishing permit he’d fall over laughing. Whoops! Authorities, an Asian girl has been fishing your seas. Without a permit.
I am aghast that people think that abusing aquatic animals counts as “free development of personality”.
Since when did anyone in Greece take permits seriously? Building permits, parking permits, fishing permits, nightclub permits: the only ones that are enforced are residence permits, and that is because they are for non-Greeks. In effect, the whole permit approach is racist because the law is rarely enforeced for Greeks and always applies for foreigners.