Can we laugh at everything? A court in Kazakhstan decided to answer this question in the negative. Kazakh judges in fact decided, this Thursday, to sentence three Belgian supporters of Club Bruges to a short prison sentence who had disguised themselves as “Borat” during the match on the 7th day of the Champions League against Kaïrat Almaty on Tuesday.
In a press release, a court in Astana, the capital, said it had “received complaints for disturbing public order against Belgian citizens S., D. and N.”, who were “sentenced to five days of administrative detention”.
The famous mankini from “Borat”
“In a state of drunkenness in the stands of the Astana Arena stadium, S., D. and N. took off their clothes, remaining in their underwear, and chanted slogans (…) thus disturbing public order” during Tuesday’s match won 4-1 by the Belgians.
A video, visible on social networks, shows three people wearing a mankini, a green swimsuit hanging behind the neck and emblematic of the film “Borat”.
The comedy, released in 2006, follows the adventures in America of a fictional Kazakh journalist, Borat Sagdiyev, played by British actor Sacha Baron Cohen, who presents Kazakhstan as a backward country.
“Borat” was banned in Kazakhstan
The jokes linked to this parody film, which also makes fun of American society, are rarely appreciated in Kazakhstan, to put it mildly, which has been trying for years to fight against the false image conveyed by “Borat”.
Upon its release, the film provoked the ire of the Kazakh authorities, who banned it from screening, before recognizing that it had contributed to the development of tourism in this immense Central Asian country.
A flag from a supporter of the English club Chelsea representing “Borat” was confiscated by security during a Europa Conference League match against Astana in 2024.
