Living in Crete | Brits in Crete | Anti-Circus Demonstration

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So there I was reading all my e-mail from the in-box and up popped
the one from The Cretan Animal Welfare Group.

I jumped to feet, grabbed another cup of tea and thought - for no
more than 10 seconds, mind you -- as webmaster at the BritsinCrete
Forum should this go in as a news story?

The decision was immediately, yes. Not from my personal viewpoint
that will remain just that. But I felt it was for the Brits in Crete
Forum members to decide their position on such a demonstration.

The e-mail basically called on support to peacefully demonstrate
against the Circo di Praga in Malia in Heraklion Prefecture in Crete
for its mistreatment of animals in their daily performances.

Within minutes of posting as web master I was embroiled in the
subject. By posting was I supporting the demonstration? A quick
riposte. No, Brits in Crete nor the NewAdmin was supporting the
event. Both remain in neutral gear.

Each webmaster has their own point of view on their role. Mine is to
provide a basic, safe framework for discussion and the members take
over. All I want and the new owners of the BritsinCrete portal is for
good manners and respect from members to each other. I may be of the
old school but I firmly believe that from this standpoint, position,
attitude -- call it what you like, then the Brits in Crete and its
Forum will be a much better place if members adopt these basic
principles.

Unfortunately, it takes time for it to sink into some members.

Several interesting topics ("threads" in Forum parlance) have been
hijacked by just a couple of members getting into a slanging match.
The rhetoric can be quite eye popping at times.

In jest, I suggested indirectly that we should stage an old fashioned
jousting match where the culprits could lance the hell out of each
other. While it was in jest, it worked. At the time of writing I
await the re-appearance of one of the culprits.

I have concerns too -- that the female member (we do not know if she
is a lady or not) is plotting to take up our offer or inflict further
on the members who expressed their dismay at how they found the
behaviour a distraction from very useful answers in the Forum. That
is something the forum does well: helping Living in Crete Wannabes
have many of their questions answered in re-locating and moving to
Crete by those who have gone before.

Back to the original point of this blog.

I never thought when setting up this entity that 'animals in Crete'
and beyond would feature so prominently in the writings.

While still on the subject, I recall that Greece stamped out the Balkans tradition of the dancing
bears routine to entertain on the streets in the name of preventing
cruelty to animals. I am just wondering where the legislation stands
on circuses in Greece and Europe today?

On the circus demo, the BritsinCrete Forum makes disturbing reading from all points of view.

What do you think? The current Living in Crete discussion is under
Crete News and Events - at <http://www.britsincrete.co.uk/cgi-bin/
bicforum/YaBB.pl?num=1173531457>