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Caught out by the kolbasti: dancing into court
Posted by Xeno on August 6, 2010
A Turkish immigrant claims New Zealand police cannot tell the difference between fighting and dancing after he was reportedly charged with assault while celebrating with his wife.
A judge has now told the police to go away and study a cultural Turkish video showing the kolbasti dance before deciding whether to proceed with the case.
Kebab shop owner Allaetin Can was arrested after a passerby reported he was hitting, kicking and strangling his wife outside their shop in the North Island town of Hawera, the Taranaki Daily News said.
But when he appeared in court, Mr Can argued he and his wife Elmas were merely performing the traditional Turkish dance kolbasti which, loosely translated, means “caught red-handed by the police” and involves energetic movements.
Mr Can said he and his wife and two teenage children danced out of their kebab shop into a car park after a particularly profitable lunch shift.
“We’re always dancing. I’m happy to dance with my wife and my family. What’s wrong with that?” he was quoted in the report as saying.
“People here understand fighting, not dancing. It’s our culture.”
The judge gave police two weeks to study a DVD of the kolbasti and if they accepted the Cans were involved in an innocent dance, then the charge would be withdrawn.
Um, I don’t know. There wasn’t much hitting, kicking and strangling in the kolbasti dance I found on YouTube above…
Stiofan Mac Suibhne said
What pointless reportage! Are there no facts available?
Did the ‘dancing’ result in injury? If there was no victim here there is no assailant. Surely in cases where assault is alleged the police protocols require that the victim is examined by a medical practitioner. Did the victim consent to the ‘dancing’? I agree with the previous comment, the dancing video does not look much like an assault.
Whatever we might think of the NZ police force, I think they would have the skills and experience to recognise a male on female beating in progress.
If this logic follows through, when is rape not rape, of course when it is dancing!
As the saying goes ‘the law is an ass’…Perhaps the judge should watch CSI.