The Greek National Council for Radio and Television imposed a 24-hour broadcasting ban on TV channel “E” for airing racist comments against basketball player Thanasis Antetokounmpo.
The ban, which is scheduled for January 10, 2019, was announced on Tuesday in response to offensive comments made by presenter Dimitris Tsoukalas during his show.
“The E Channel” also must pay a fine of 30,000 euros for broadcasting racist statements and for having low-quality programming.
Tsoukalas, who is known for his foul mouth and provocative statements, referred to the Panathinaikos player as a “monkey”, generating strong reactions worldwide in social media and the press.
Thanasis Antetokounmpo is the older brother of Giannis Antetokounmpo, who plays on the National Basketball Association’s Milwaukee Bucks team and has been given the nickname of the “Greek Freak”. The incident angered Giannis, who defended his brother and slammed Tsoukalas.
“If this can happen to Thanasis, who represents the Greek national team and Panathinaikos with pride and a smile, I cannot imagine what other people of color face in Greece,” Giannis wrote on Twitter.