The most absurd laws of different countries

The Times newspaper has published 25 more strange and funny laws from different countries. Taking inspiration from the example of the British edition, here’s another, fuller, best-selling parade of the eccentric and downright funny regulations of global legislative practice.

The peculiarities of national legislations.

One can study the traditions and the peculiarities of the mentality of nations through the strange laws. In this sense, a form of statute is the same product of culture as a movie, a book, or a painting. Australians have shown themselves to be very naive people in the supposed “mirror law”: there is a law in Australia that prohibits walking the streets in black clothes, with felt shoes and with black face paint, because all of the above The things mentioned constitute the disguise of a night robber. Furthermore, there is a law here that orders people who practice the trade of transporters for money to carry hay with them. It is true that no one cares that modern taxi drivers adhere to this rule: they are lucky they have not been transporting their passengers by means of a team of horses for a long time.

The people of Switzerland treat the rest of their associates with excessive respect. The legislators of this same country came up with the idea of ​​prohibiting noisy flushing of water after 10 p.m., because it can disturb the neighbors. However, modern Swiss sanitary engineering makes violation of this law almost impossible. Waste tanks are manufactured with reinforced soundproofing; In addition, they are built in such a way that the water flows through the special pipes instead of falling with a crash.

The city-state of Singapore is world famous for its cleanliness and for the hefty fines for attempting to violate this cleanliness. Thus they fined for the garbage, thrown in the street, in the amount equivalent to 600 dollars. In addition, the sale of chewing gum was prohibited here for 12 years, a radical measure in the fight against hooligans, who hit them anywhere. The ban was only lifted in 2004, when chewing gum appeared on the counters of Singaporean pharmacies.

The law, according to which women are prohibited from wearing pants, was passed in Africa Swaziland not so long ago. The regulation was sanctioned by the local monarch, who proclaimed a return to traditions, while the trousers represent non-traditional undergarments for Swazi women. The punishment for wearing pants is quite humiliating: the soldiers snatch them from the women and tear them to pieces. It is true that it is not clear how the arm of the law will view the underwear, if according to the law, which was passed by the monarch himself, Swazi women over the age of 10 should not wear skirts above the knee. .

The contempt of the King (the Queen).

It is forbidden by law to trample on money in Thailand. At first glance the measure is absolutely senseless, however some details will clarify the situation. The thing is that the King of this country is represented on all the banknotes and coins of Thailand. Stepping on his image is a show of disrespect for the monarch, for which imprisonment is expected.

Finally, it is still forbidden to name pigs after Napoleon in France. It should be noted that in this case the dissemination of the book “Animal Farm” by George Orwell on the territory of the country should also be prohibited, since the pig alias Napoleon is one of the main characters of the work.

Survivals of the past.

Many strange laws, nominally in force today, are nothing more than survivals from the past, sometimes quite remote.

Most of the time, such regulations are found in Great Britain and in the US, where the legislation has not been completely reconsidered over the years. There are even public groups in the US, which fight for the abolition of “dumb” laws. This occupation is not one of the easy ones: after all, you need to find an absurd law that has not been used for a long time, and you also need to check the following fact: what if it was already abolished?

Consider, for example, the British law, mentioned by The Times, which prescribes two hours of archery exercises per day for each male subject, who is over 14 years of age. This decree was issued by King Edward III as early as the 14th century; It is also famous for the ban on the game of ball, which today is known as soccer. Soccer was finally allowed in 1603. The British were officially released from the obligation to practice

archery daily under Queen Victoria, in 1863. It is true that there is a suspicion that they had stopped practicing it long before.

The Times also reminds that any free man can drive the flock of sheep across London Bridge duty free in London. Also, a free man gets a chance to lead geese on Cheapside. But a person affected by the plague is forbidden to take a taxi on the streets.

In addition, there is a law according to which two men are prohibited from having sexual intercourse with each other in a house, where the third person is present. This law was promulgated at the end of the 16th century as a fight against homosexual brothels, which appeared in the big cities of England.

Private life and public morality.

A gynecologist has the right to examine a woman’s genitals in Bahrain, however, he (she) cannot look at them directly, but only at their reflection in the mirror. Sex with animals is permitted by law in several Muslim countries, but exclusively with women. One person faces the prospect of the death penalty for liaison with a mail animal in Lebanon. They can decapitate to masturbate in Indonesia.

In the State of Florida only the so-called missionary position is allowed and kissing a woman’s breast during intercourse is prohibited. You are not allowed to have sexual relations that involve the “rider” position in Massachusetts.

The legislators of countries and states also show a somewhat improper effort in defense of public morals. A man in a skirt can be arrested in Italy, for example. Of course, it is clear which men in kilts are in question, but what should the Scots, who revere their traditions, do in Italy?

Women are prohibited from wearing patent leather shoes in the state of Ohio: the shoes are considered to be able to reflect undergarments. Kissing for more than five minutes is prohibited in Iowa.

Florida’s law, which prohibits unmarried women from skydiving on Sundays, is the latest in this category. Perhaps it is also related to public morality.

The hodgepodge

It is forbidden to hide anything from the tax officer in case you don’t want him to know about it in the UK regulations on tax evasion (issued in 2006). For all that, in case he doesn’t care if the tax official gets to know some data, he is not obligated to communicate it to him.

Driving while blindfolded is prohibited in the State of Alabama. It is strictly prohibited to water fish with alcohol in Ohio. Killing birds is not permitted in the City of Boulder, Colorado. Also, it is illegal to own pets there. Therefore, everyone who has a cat or a dog is officially called “the assistant to the animal.”

A wife must obtain her husband’s written consent to have dentures made in the state of Vermont. The head of any dead whale found ashore in London belongs to the King. The tail of such a whale belongs to the Queen in case she needs the baleen for her corset.

Laws, which can be unambiguously called absurd, are also enacted in the post-Soviet region. Therefore, car enthusiasts in Belarus are prescribed to carry no less than three contraceptive devices in the first-aid kit. Not only women, but also men and even priests were mercilessly fined for the absence of contraceptive devices. True, according to recent data, the Belarusian authorities have abolished this rule in 2007.