French Customs Agent Axed for Fun with Obama Passport
French authorities suspended a customs inspector for having a photo taken of himself with U.S. President Barack Obama's passport as the leader entered France for the G8 summit, a union said Friday.
The inspector annoyed travelling U.S. officials by posing for a picture after stamping Obama's passport as the White House delegation arrived on May 26, local radio station France Bleu Cotentin reported.
"The American officials who handed over the passports of their delegation did not appreciate it," Philippe Bock, a local customs workers' representative of the Solidaires labor union, told Agence France Presse, confirming the report.
"The punishment came quickly," he added, saying the inspector was suspended for two weeks and is likely to be transferred to another department.
Arriving for the summit in the northwestern resort of Deauville, Obama's presidential plane Air Force One landed at a minor local airport where customs officers instead of border police carried out passport controls.
The customs service declined to comment.
Source: Agence France Presse
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