--- In [email protected], TurquoiseB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > India, that's where. Sometimes the sheer > backasswards idiocy of India just blows > my mind.\
Although I agree with your point, I saw the tape and Gere was being a total dick. With his exposure to Indian culture, he has no excuse for bringing this on himself and to the chick he was mashing on. > > > India court orders Richard Gere's arrest > > JAIPUR, India (Reuters) -- An Indian court ordered > the arrest of Hollywood star Richard Gere on Thursday > for kissing Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty at an AIDS > awareness event this month saying it was an obscene > act committed in public. > > Gere's repeated kisses on Shetty's cheeks at an event > to promote AIDS awareness in New Delhi sparked protests > in some parts of India, mostly by Hindu vigilante groups, > who saw it as an outrage against her modesty and an > affront to Indian culture. > > The order by a court in the northern city of Jaipur > came in response to a complaint by a local lawyer. > > The judge watched a video recording of Gere kissing > Shetty and found him guilty of violating Indian laws > against public obscenity, the lawyer, Poonam Chand > Bhandari, said. > > The court also summoned Shilpa Shetty to appear on > May 5, Bhandari said, adding that Gere was also ordered > to be arrested. > > Gere can be sent to jail for up to three months or > fined or both for the crime if he is arrested. He is > not in India now but can be held if he visits the > country again. > > The Hollywood star is a devout Buddhist and a vocal > supporter of the Tibetan cause and visits India > frequently to meet the Dalai Lama, who lives in > exile in northern India. > > He is also involved with charities looking after > HIV-infected people and orphans, as well as AIDS > prevention groups in the country. > > Groups of men had burned and kicked straw effigies > of Gere and Shetty in sporadic protests across the > country after newspapers published the picture of > the kiss on their front pages and TV channels aired > visuals of the event. > > Shetty, the winner of the "Celebrity Big Brother" > reality TV show in Britain this year had said the > kiss may have gone a "little overboard" but it was > not obscene and the protests made India look > regressive. > > She said Gere was only re-enacting his moves from > the film "Shall We Dance" to entertain the audience > at the AIDS event and communicate in a Bollywood > style as he did not speak Hindi. > > Many commentators had subsequently expressed their > unhappiness at what they said were fringe groups > making a mountain of a harmless peck on the cheek. >
