Politics and New Laws…

VOCABULARY

Flicking through the English newspapers this morning, I was surprised to see how much had been written about Austria and the elections taking place this weekend. Mainly, the articles covered the huge rows between the two political parties that have governed Austria for the past 10 years and the fact that this could help the far right gain power. There were many reports about the bitter rivalry between the SPÖ and the ÖVP which could make future cooperation very difficult. Without a doubt, this was the dirtiest election campaign ever, here in Austria. It will be interesting to see how the election turns out on Sunday, but most of the English newspapers seem to have already sussed it out.

The other articles were concerning the recent "burka ban" in Austria, which came into effect on October 1. Muslim groups have of course condemned this new law saying that only a tiny minority of Muslim women wear the full-face veil. They could be restricted to their own homes, if they do not wish to, or are not allowed to, show their faces in public. I often ask myself why a woman would choose to wear such a restrictive piece of clothing. It cannot be for religious reasons, as nowhere in the Koran does it mention that the burka should be worn, or any other type of dress that is now associated with Islam, including the hijab or veil. The Koran states that all Muslims, whether male or female, should dress modestly and refrain fromrevealing "any parts of their bodies, except that which is necessary".

Obviously, so as not to appear racist, the new law also bans anyone from covering their face, which must be visible from the hairline to the chin, at all times. So it looks like rather a chilly winter, if you wish to wear your ski mask or balaclava off the slopes; a mask around your mouth while cycling or even a scarf. What about the thousands of Chinese people (many of whom wear masks to protect themselves from bacteria), who love to visit Austria every year – will they also be forced to remove their protective masks when they arrive? Will restrictions be made at Halloween and Carnival Time? Authorities have since had to clarify that the law will not apply to people who are wearing face masks that are considered part of the traditional Austrian culture – and Halloween. But then the next debate begins: Do Austrians consider Halloween an Austrian custom?

Austrian police are allowed to use force to make people show their faces and can impose a fine of €150. Unfortunately, this ban is not going to plan and Austrian police have been a little overzealous when handing out fines. A female cyclist was made to take off her scarf, which she had wrapped around her face against the cold, and a group of street musicians, who were performing in animal masks, had to remove them.

However, the story that went viral overnight is the one about the unfortunate man who was wearing a shark’s outfit to promote a new electronics shop in Vienna. On top of the embarrassment of having to walk around the streets of the capital, dressed up as a shark, the poor man had to put up withbeing told off by the police and paying a fine when he refused to take the shark’s head off. "I am only doing my job" he reportedly said to the police, but his protests fell on deaf ears. The man’s employers, who had no idea that the law was so extreme and covered mascots, will pay the fine.

It goes without saying that, like the Austrian ban on smoking in public places, this "burka ban" hasn’t been thought through properly. We all know who the ban is aimed at and if Mr. Strache succeeds on Sunday, he will tell us. decision time – Zeit der Entscheidung polling stations – Wahllokale to flick through – durchblättern a huge row – ein heftiger Streit to gain power – Macht gewinnen bitter rivalry – bittere Feindschaft without a doubt – ohne Zweifel to suss sth. out – dahinter kommen to concern – betreffen to come into effect – wirksam werden to condemn – verurteilen full-face veil – Gesichtsschleier restricted – eingeschränkt to mention – erwähnen to dress modestly – sich züchtig kleiden to refrain from sth. – etw. unterlassen to reveal – zeigen the hairline – der Haaransatz chin – Kinn balaclava – Sturmhaube protective masks – Schutzmasken to clarify – klarstellen to consider sth. – etw. betrachten to impose a fine – eine Strafe verhängen overzealous – übereifrig wrapped around – herumgewickelt to remove – entfernen to go viral – sich schnell verbreiten shark’s outfit – Hai-Kostüm embarrassment – Peinlichkeit to put up with sth. – etw. ertragen to be told off – geschimpft werden reportedly – angeblich to fall on deaf ears – auf taube Ohren stoßen it goes without saying – es versteht sich von selbst thought through properly – wohldurchdacht to aim at sbd. – auf jmd. zielen