French wine producers have protested against the planned restriction on advertising for wine, with bloggers providing support for the activities on the Internet.

Last Thursday, wine producers protested against the planned restrictions on advertising wine presented by the French government (Wein-Plus reported on this) in around 70 cities around France. Im many places, town signs were covered with posters saying "censored". Along the same lines, many Internet bloggers simply showed a black screen.

It remains unclear whether the protests are likely to show any effect. If nothing else, the relevant government department indicated it could understand the dissatisfaction. It appears that in Germany, efforts by the federal government similarly to institute bans on advertising have received a setback. The government ombuswoman on drugs and dependency, Sabine Schätzing, has indicated that advertising for alcoholic beverages at sports events, e.g. on posters and sidebands, is not to be restricted any further. (WF)