A police-issued fine posted on the r/Austria Reddit thread shows that a person in Vienna was fined 500 euro ($560) for farting loudly in front of police officers. If the fine isn't paid, the man could face five days in jail.
The title of the Reddit post stated: "It's a miracle that the policeman didn't grab the poufs right away! We must not be 'suppressed': let the intestinal wind escape for everyone!"
The fine said that in the incident in Bennoplatz, Vienna, the person violated a regulation by violating public decency or for an unduly disturbing noise. More specifically, according to the fine, "they violated public decency by loudly blowing a bowel in front of police officers."
A Reddit user commented: "Is ridiculous, but be glad that the gentlemen did not come to paragraph two" of the regulation.
The second paragraph of the regulation reads: "For the purpose of parking or to avoid the threat of continuing undue disturbing noise, organs of the public security service can ensure the objects with which the noise is generated or, if this is not possible due to the nature of the object or for other reasons, is suitably put out of operation."
On Twitter, the Vienna Police Department confirmed that the incident happened in response to a tweet that said: "Farting in the presence of a police officer costs a lot."
The Vienna Police Department said in a series of tweets: "Of course, nobody will be shown if 'someone gets away' by mistake. However, the information shown was provocative and uncooperative throughout the previous official act.
"He rose slightly from the park bench, looked at the officers, and apparently intentionally released a massive fart in the immediate vicinity of the officers. And the colleagues are rather reluctant to fart."
The incident took place on June 5, at 12.40 a.m. local time. The culprit has been given a penalty of €500 ($560) and if it is not paid he will face five days in jail.
In another tweet, the Vienna police said that the penalty "is imposed individually by the criminal officer (a lawyer) for each individual case. As with any administrative announcement, appeals can be lodged and legal remedies can be brought."
The Vienna Police Department told Newsweek: "A person has indeed been fined for 'Anstandsverletzung' (roughly translated: breach of public decency), and it is also true that the perp has 'broken wind,' but the charges go deeper than that.
"The fine was the culmination of a prolonged, unruly, and disrespectful behavior of the accused, who constantly disrupted a police intervention. The 'intestinal wind' was thus not the beginning but the end of a longer-lasting incident, the tip of the behavioral iceberg, so to speak.
"Police officers in Vienna and elsewhere do not have to and will not tolerate such behavior towards them. We spoke to the police officers who intervened at the time, they described the incident as mentioned above, and they stand by their decision to punish this disruptive behavior and would do it again."
In October 2019, Missouri police revealed that they located a suspect after he farted loudly. The Clay County Missouri Sherriff's Office said on social media: "If you've got a felony warrant for your arrest, the cops are looking for you and you pass gas so loud it gives up your hiding spot, you're definitely having a [poop emoji] day."
In September 2019, a man in Scotland intentionally farted as police officers conducted a body cavity search and was ordered to perform 75 hours of community service.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
