A man was fined $600 or around P29,000 for farting in front of a policeman in Vienna, Austria.
The man said that it’s a form of freedom of expression.
In a report on the Austrian newspaper Der Standard, the man was able to negotiate and lower down the fine to $120 or P5,800.
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The man argued in court that farting is a “biological process” that even if intentional, would amount to freedom of expression.
The Vienna Regional Administrative Court did not remove the fine but lowered it down since the man has clean court records.
He was described to have only had “average” culpability of the offense”.
The defendant and his group were approached by police officers on April 14 for a routine identity check.
“When he released the intestinal gas, the complainant was sitting on a park bench. He then lifted his buttocks and tensed up a little before letting the intestinal gas escape,” court documents showed.
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“The complainant’s friends laughed at the intestinal gas and witnessed him make a joke. Due to the resulting entertainment from the intestinal gas, the defendant grinned at the officers,” it added.
The court however did not accept the argument of freedom of expression.
“This specific farting incident is not a case of “pure body stimuli” as it was done so in a “form of expression that transcends the boundaries of decency,” the court said. (TDT)
