Man dressed up as a shark falls foul of Austria’s new burka ban

THE banning of the burka in Austria has had unforeseen consequences for a man dressed in a comedy shark outfit.

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

He is not the only victim of police who have strictly applied the new law.

Those who have had run-ins with the law 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 Oct 1, was introduced because of concerns over burkas and Islamic full-face veils. However, the wording of the new law is more general and applies to anything which covers the entire face.

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

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