Humor can be very expensive…
Our colleagues from Caledonian public television. (NC 1ere) reveal a funny story. A Caledonian was arrested by the Australian Federal Police at Sydney’s Kingsford-Smith airport, just before boarding an Aircalin plane bound for New Caledonia. He is not, however, a terrorist. This Caledonian had the bad idea of making a joke at the baggage check-in counter. The forty-something craftsman was traveling with friends. He joked that he hoped the bomb in his suitcase wouldn’t go off during the flight. He explained to the police that he was actually talking about his shaving foam can…
Denounced by someone in the crowd who had heard the funny story…
The Caledonian tourist was speaking loudly and his words were heard all around him. Someone in the crowd undoubtedly reported his remarks to the airport authorities. The man was arrested and his suitcase was searched. There was, of course, no bomb. The plane left, but not the Caledonian. He paid $10,000 bail to stay out of jail. He was sentenced a week later. In addition to his three-year suspended sentence, he was fined $5,000.
I’m not inadmissible to Australia,” confided the Caledonian, “but the police told me I was now on file at every airport in the world. Luckily for him, he had some money to pay his bail, otherwise he’d still be in prison.
This is not a unique story. In fact, there are several stories of Frenchmen arrested in the USA for similar jokes. Humor can be very costly…
