India Court Orders Richard Gere Arrested
An Indian court ordered the arrest of Hollywood star Richard Gere on Thursday for repeatedly kissing Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty at an AIDS campaign event, saying it was an obscene act committed in public.
Yesterday Gere apologized, sort of, by saying that his intentions to help AIDS victims excuses his obscene behavior, and that the obscenity charges were cooked-up by an India conservative right-wing conspiracy. In case you’re wondering, Gere is an extreme left-wing liberal nut, so his statements of conspiracy make sense.
Gere’s 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 of Gere kissing Shetty and found him guilty of violating Indian laws against public obscenity, said the lawyer, Poonam Chand Bhandari.
The court summoned Shetty to appear on May 5, Bhandari said, adding that Gere also was ordered arrested.
Gere, 57, can be sent to jail for up to three months or fined or both. He is not in India now.
A Los Angeles-based spokesman for Gere said the actor had no comment on the incident or the ruling.
Gere appeared on The Daily Show earlier this week and said, "I don’t know that anyone has actually gone to jail, it has to go through a process. It goes to a reputable court, and they throw it out." He’s keeping his mouth shut now.
If Gere doesn’t turn himself in to India authorities then he’s an international outlaw. That’s what he gets for not respecting other cultures, and their laws regarding decency. What Gere doesn’t realize, like most Hollywood liberals, is that freedom to express yourself is a privilege that is against the law in some countries. Maybe Gere will finally learn to appreciate his privilege to express himself in his own country after he spends some time in an India jail.
That’s the dumbest thing I’ve heard in a while. I’m Indian, and the vast majority of Indians don’t think that kind of stuff violates anything. It’s probably over the top, but our Bollywood movies are WAY worse than that. Regardless of the country, there’s always some lunatic fringe (super left OR right-wing) that waste the court’s time on rubbish like this. If only they had time to prosecute actual criminals (like, for example, ANY politician in India…where corruption is a way of life) instead of wasting time on this stuff. Adn the judge is equally foolish to issue these kinds of warrants. All this sets anyone up for is a chance to bribe your way out of court.
I’m embarassed that a worthy cause is overshadowed by this piffle.
Give me a freaking break. Yes, Gere used bad judgement, but no one was hurt. There are so many other more important issues in this world.
You are definitely odd.
How is the united states the only country that would allow that?? have you forgotten about CANADA? the nicest country in the world?!?!
“freedom to express yourself is unique to the United States only”
Uh, not even close. There are several countries where you are allowed to be even more “free” than you are in the United States. Just because we’re oversexed doesn’t mean we’re more “free.”
You must not travel much…
And something that doesn’t make this country so great is when people go around acting as though it is #1. And I’m born and raised in America.
Every country has their good qualities and their bad. The world, as a whole, is wildly and entirely flawed though.
As for the Gere incident, that law is one of India’s ‘bad qualities’ – in my opinion and obviously in Gere’s.
Though I agree, he should have respected their laws and culture – as silly as they may be to us.
P.S. Our “freedom to express ourselves” is on it’s way out the door. People are fired constantly for being outspoken, so that “freedom” comes with a very big price – which, in the end, will only influence others to stop being so free and constanly walk around in a state of fear (like those other countries that aren’t as “great” as ours).