Austria burqa boycott: Man dressed as shark falls afoul of new law

Austria burqa boycott: Man dressed as shark falls afoul of new law 

A man dressed as a shark has been fined under new hostile to burqa laws in Austria. The shark was promoting the opening of another hardware store called McShark. 

Austrian police issued a fine to a man dressed as a shark under new hostile to burqa laws, Austrian media investigated Monday. 

The mascot was remaining outside another outlet of the McShark gadgets store in Vienna when he was requested that by police evacuate his shark head. When he won't, he was issued with a fine, which can be up to €150 ($176). 

The new laws went for denying individuals from covering their countenances in broad daylight became effective toward the begin of October. The control came as a component of enactment affirmed in May that likewise builds up obligatory coordination courses and prompts refuge searchers to do unpaid open work. 

Read more: Austrian full-confront shroud boycott becomes effective 

'Simply doing my activity' 

Publicizing organization Warda Network uncovered the fine in a post on its Facebook page (German dialect). "Today we were at the McShark store opening and our shark mascot got a fine from the Vienna police due to the new prohibition on confront covers! Life isn't simple!" the post said. 

Day by day daily paper Heute detailed the culpable mascot told police "I'm simply doing my activity," when drawn closer by officers. 

A great white shark

Eugen Prosquill, overseeing executive of the promoting office, told the paper he didn't know whether they would keep on using mascots in their crusades. "It would be a disgrace if there were no more mascots starting now and into the foreseeable future," he was cited as saying. 


Police affirmed to the paper the mascot was fined for at first declining to expel his shark head. 

Territorial day by day Österreich revealed the officers acted after an individual from the general population announced the mascot. Police speculated the report originated from somebody who wished to demonstrate a point about the new laws. 

The laws were composed in such an approach to be religiously-nonpartisan, yet that has prompted across the board perplexity in the German-talking country. Vienna day by day Der Standard revealed that in one case a cyclist was ceased by police for covering her face with a scarf. 

Read more: The possibility of a burqa boycott spreads crosswise over Europe 

France was the principal European nation to ban confront cloak in 2011. Belgium, Bulgaria and Switzerland stuck to this same pattern, while the Netherlands has restricted the utilization of shroud in broad daylight workplaces. Germany forced a restricted prohibition on confront covers in April. It applies to just open authorities and fighters on obligation.