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Austria’s Face Veil Ban Leads To Charges For Man Wearing A Shark Suit

REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger

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Joshua Gill Religion Reporter
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Austrian authorities fined a man wearing a shark suit Monday because it did not comply with Austria’s new ban on face veils.

The man wearing the shark suit was promoting the opening of a new location for the McShark electronics chain, but refused to obey Austrian police’s demands that he take off his mascot mask. He responded “I’m just doing my job,” according to Heute.

Police issued a misdemeanor citation to the man along with a fine, which can be almost as high as $180. Austrian police also issued a fine of $59.04 and a citation the same day to Rachid Nekkaz, an Islamic activist protesting perceived “Burka Bans” in Europe, according to the Associated Press.

Nekaz stood in front of Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz’s government office while sporting a mask and black suit covered in 100-euro bills with a picture of hung around his neck.

Nekkaz promised in September, before Austria’s Integration Law took effect Oct. 1, to pray the fines of any woman charged for wearing an Islamic face veil in Austria. Proponents of the new law promote it as necessary to fix a perceived growing problem of Islamic immigrants failing to integrate with Austrian society and culture. (Related: Immigration Law Forces Muslims To Integrate Into Austrian Culture) 

Protesters who objected to the new law took to the streets in Vienna earlier in 2017, declaring “Every woman must be able to move freely in public without harassment and discrimination — no matter what she does or does not wear,” according to The Independent.

Kurz, who helped develop the new law including its ban on face veils in public places, said it was necessary for the security of Austria and to prevent a cultural insurgency.

“We will not tolerate any symbols that aim to build a counter-society with us,” Kurz said.

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