Thessaloniki - A Greek court has banned a definition of the word Bulgarians from a Greek language dictionary as offensive, threatening the author with heavy fines and a jail sentence.
The court accepted a petition from a local councillor to ban a definition of the word as Greek slang for "supporters or players of sports teams of Thessaloniki", near Bulgaria. The author, Prof George Babiniotis, faces one month in jail and a fine of two million drachmas ($6,600) for each time he defies the ruling.
The dictionary prompted a heated row between some northern Greeks who took offence at being called Bulgarians and academics who saw the reaction as a muzzle on freedom of expression.
