As a European I am definitely looking forward to the upcoming soccer World Cup tournament in Germany this summer. Of course, so are German businesses and it being Europe, the sex business has gone on a creative advertising spree to attract clients during the weeks that German cities will be swamped with primarily male soccer fans. One brothel named ‘Pascha’ incorporated the flags of all 32 participating nations into its billboard ads to let it be known that it was open for business for everyone. Great idea? Not according to some:

"On Friday evening we were threatened by 11 masked men who demand that we take down the Saudi Arabian flag," Lobscheid told the Kölner Express, a local newspaper. Not wanting any trouble, the brothel obliged and removed it and the Iranian one. But that still left the flags printed on the poster.

"On Saturday night there were 20 masked men armed with knives and sticks. They threatened to get violent and even bomb the place unless we black out the Iranian and Saudia Arabian flags on the poster as well," said Lobscheid.

The men had left before the police arrived. But to spare his establishment any more trouble, Lobscheid ordered a crane to black out the two flags as well. Lobscheid is now considering filing a complaint but also wants to hold talks with the local Muslim community.

The absence of a clear separation between church and state in both Iran and Saudi Arabia combined with the highly ambivalent attitudes to sex in these nations was again sufficient to curb some free speech in the west. And no, despite my ruminations on moral decay in the free world I do believe that legalized prostitution is actually one of the west’s virtues and strengths.

UPDATE: Sploid notes that somehow the Tunisian flag - which consists of a white crescent against a red background - was exempt from the latest round of intimidation. Reason? They're moderates, of course!