Austria’s Burka Ban Causes An Arrest Of Man Dressed As Shark

A man dressed as a shark was arrested in Austria and officials cited the countries Burka ban. The man was working as a mascot for a McShark electronics store in Vienna when the arrest occurred.
New restrictions came into effect in Austria at the beginning of the month banning the wearing of the full Islamic veil and other items concealing the face in public places and buildings. This ban extends to medical masks and scarves as well, making the shark costume an obvious ‘no-go.’ The restrictions are aimed at ‘ensuring the cohesion of society in an open society,’ according to officials, and violations will be punished with a fine of up to 150. Even though the wording of the law was meant to be religiously-neutral, there is still a grey area in which Austrians appear to be exploiting in order to make a point.
When the police saw the young man in the shark costume, he was asked to remove it. The employee protested saying he was ‘just doing his job,’ so the police arrested him and slapped him with a fine. Apparently, the man in the shark suit was reported to police by a member of the public who wanted to make a point of the new piece of legislation. The McShark electronics company is now reviewing its policy on using mascots to ensure they comply with the new law.

This post was published at shtfplan on October 9th, 2017.