Shark costume mascot fined under Austria's 'burka ban' law

A new "burka ban" in Austria had unforeseen consequences for a man dressed in a comedy shark costume.

The man, who has not been named, has been fined €150 (£135) — because the shark mask technically contravened the ban, which forbids any form of facial covering in public.

He is not the only victim of police who appear to be somewhat overzealously interpreting the new law.

Others who have had a run in with police in recent days include a woman cyclist who wrapped her scarf around her face against the cold, and street musicians performing in animal masks.

The ban, which came into effect on October 1, was introduced because of concerns over burqas and Islamic full-face veils.

But the wording of the new law is more general, and applies to anything which covers the entire face.

The unfortunate man in the shark outfit was wearing it as part of a publicity drive for a new electronics shop in Vienna.

On top of the indignity of walking the streets in a shark suit, he also suffered a public dressing down from police.

“I’m only doing my job,” he reportedly said, but his protests fell on deaf ears.

“The shark was fined because he refused to take his mask off,” Daniel Fürst, a police spokesman, told Heute newspaper.

The man’s employers, a local public relations agency, have said they will pay the fine. “I had no idea the law was so extreme it covered mascots,” Eugen Prosquill, the managing director of the agency, said.

Those who have to wear facial coverings for work are supposed to be exempt, but that does not appear to have applied in this instance.

In another case, a young woman cyclist was ordered to remove her scarf after she wrapped it around her face against the autumn weather.

“It’s not cold, take it off,” a police officer reportedly told her. Authorities have since had to clarify that the law will not apply to those wearing Halloween costumes. Face masks that are considered part of Austrian traditional culture are exempt, but there has been debate over whether Halloween counts as an Austrian tradition.

There has been considerable debate over the ban, with issues of immigration and integration set to dominate Austrian elections at the weekend.

Earlier this year, an anti-immigrant group confused these bus seats for women wearing burkas.