Gere kiss sparks India protests

[Marcus Marulus]

Gere kiss sparks India protests

Some demonstrators called Gere's embrace of Shetty "vulgar"


Actor Richard Gere has sparked protests in India after kissing Celebrity Big Brother winner Shilpa Shetty at an Aids awareness rally in New Delhi.


Demonstrators in Mumbai (Bombay) set light to effigies of the Hollywood star, while protesters in other cities shouted "death to Shilpa Shetty".
The protesters said Gere insulted Indian culture by kissing the hand and face of the Bollywood actress.
Public displays of affection and sex are still largely taboo in India.
Shetty downplayed the incident, saying "it was not so obscene".
"This was not such a big thing for people to over-react in such a manner," the actress told the Press Trust of India news agency.
"I understand people's sentiments, but I don't want a foreigner to take bad memories from here. I understand this is his culture, not ours," she added.
Swooped
Anjali Gopolan, head of Indian Aids prevention group the Naz Foundation, said: "I think he responded as an actor. He was playing to the gallery. I don't see anything bad."
The kissing scenes were regularly played on Indian TV, with some viewers commenting on Gere's actions, while Indian newspapers carried the picture on their front pages.
Indian star Shilpa Shetty won the UK version of Celebrity Big Brother


The Aids awareness rally focused on India's truck driving community, with Gere leading proceedings by shouting "no condom, no sex" in Hindi.
The crowd whooped with delight and whistled as the 58-year-old clasped Shetty and kissed her on the face several times. After the actress recovered her balance, Gere offered her a gallant bow. Protesters said his embrace of one of the country's leading ladies had been "vulgar" and demanded an apology from the film star.

[source]

[Marcus Marulus]

And to think that this clown has a presumption that he is on a "noble mission" to get the world rid of AIDS???

[Crvena zvezda]

Good. They should protest against racial mixing like this. Although, I'd prefer they hang him for being an annoying little buddhist. Fuck, he pisses me off. When ever he's on tv it's some free tibet crap. He and all other shity western celbrities who converted to buddhism should be greatful to the communist to china becuase they wouldn't even know what the hell Tibet or Buddhism is if it wasn't for the Chinese kicking out the Dalhi Llama. Not even that the idiot Dahli Llama himself said he doesn't believe in Tibetan independence.