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February 8, 2006
Blowverbod

Are the Dutch getting a bit more intolerant?

The Amsterdam De Baarsje district came up with the above "No Smoking" signs. There were just too many local dopeheads in the small streets the tourists are seeking out. So they now have "No Dope Smoking" zones and a €50.- fine for violations.

Of course the first signs were immediately stolen. But being smart business people, the De Baarsje administration is selling these now for €90 plus shipping.

You can order by email to the address at the bottom of this page or later try the web address given here. (It is new and doesn´t yet work for me).

I just ordered one from my (infromal) stepson’s room and I expect to have made good investment. Those fines will just keep coming in.

Posted by b on February 8, 2006 at 17:46 UTC | Permalink
Comments

I don’t know what a red circle without a slash thru it symbolizes to the Dutch. But that sign looks more like a cool pop-art ad for cigarettes than a no smoking sign.

Posted by: gylangirl | Feb 8 2006 18:10 utc | 1

Even more…
Flemming Rose and the Straussian Art of Provocation
As suspected, and claimed on this blog over the weekend, the inflammatory anti-Muslim cartoons published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten were a deliberate provocation designed to outrage and incite Muslims and thus engender support in Europe and America for the manufactured “clash of civilizations” engineered by the Straussian neocons.

Posted by: Uncle $cam | Feb 8 2006 18:15 utc | 2

opps, meant for the above to go to open thread…

Posted by: Uncle $cam | Feb 8 2006 18:18 utc | 3

opps, meant for the above to go to open thread…

Posted by: Uncle $cam | Feb 8 2006 18:19 utc | 4

@gylangirl – Ahh did you really get those smoke clouds. They depict certain leafs and the sign is not about smoking tobacco.(Changed the text a bit now to make this more obvious).
Quite a culture conterrevolution to see such signs in Amsterdam.

Posted by: b | Feb 8 2006 19:51 utc | 5

@b
I made the same mistake gylangirl did when I first read this and thought they were anti-tobacco signs. Thanks for clearing that up.

Posted by: Monolycus | Feb 8 2006 20:44 utc | 6

Let’s not give the Dutch too much grief. The general rule in Amsterdam is that it’s okay to smoke inside, but smoking in the streets is generally frowned upon. At least one coffeeshop on the Kloveniersburgwal has a sign “Please smoke your joints inside.” Remember, the Dutch are really good at ignoring things. Smoke inside, and they can pretend it’s not happening.

Posted by: Aigin | Feb 8 2006 20:56 utc | 7

The signs do appear to be encouragement to smoke more than discouragement. Maybe the lack of a slash is cultural.

Posted by: Rowan | Feb 8 2006 23:30 utc | 8

Well, Uncle, I’ve been waiting for the flames that just had to be behind the smoke…
What I find utterly terrifying – hell, what isn’t these days – is how easy it is for a handful of well-connected NeoNuts w/access to videotape facilities & the most powerful media & military cum state political police in the world to precipitate endless war & shred the Constitutions of all the liberal democracies in the world. That’s one meaning for “globalization” !! You just knew if they moved on Iran they wouldn’t let Europe skate this time… (Paul Craig Roberts, in his newest post on vdare.com seriously lays into the “conservative” pubs – WSJ & Nat’l Rev. – for towing the line on Iran.)
Glad to see the Dutch are at least trying to retain some sanity.

Posted by: jj | Feb 9 2006 6:38 utc | 9

“And would you like some hashish with your sign, sir?”

Posted by: Malooga | Feb 9 2006 7:04 utc | 10

I think Aigen is correct. It was never allowed to smoke on the streets where there were always fines for doing so. As there is more repression in the West, there are more middleclass Americans going to Amsterdam to enjoy a little freedom they can’t get at home, and perhaps in our usual way we aren’t being considerate of the local laws/mores.
I do love visiting Amsterdam. Some time I have to go to Rotterdam or the south just for a change.

Posted by: christofay | Feb 16 2006 10:04 utc | 11

We are a porn meets music artist collective from Amsterdam and practically promote everything the dutch government doesnt want us to. This sign created a huge hype! You can purchase the beautiful authentic blowverbod sign as an aluminium version (30cm) from our website. Its a 100% the original and we deliver much faster and cheaper than the city. We also sell T-shirts!!! Simply mail your order to info@wearefukt.com

Posted by: sinoia | Feb 27 2006 14:08 utc | 12

As for ‘There were just too many local dopeheads in the small streets the tourists are seeking out’: De Baarsjes, where the signs are found, is not a touristy area at all. The ‘dopeheads’ were just making themselves a nuisance in this particular place.
And to Rowan, who wrote: ‘The signs do appear to be encouragement to smoke more than discouragement. Maybe the lack of a slash is cultural.’ So it is: traffic signs meant to stop people from doing things don’t have a slash, as you can see here.

Posted by: Gaston | Nov 10 2006 12:15 utc | 13

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