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Austrian Man Fined For Calling Police 'Smurfs'

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Good morning. I'm Rachel Martin. You remember Smurfs, the little blue creatures who lived in the forest and inexplicably had only one female in their tribe. They were fairly lovable creatures, but police in Austria don't think so. A man in Tyrol province referenced a couple of cops as Smurfs on a Facebook group. A police officer who saw the posting filed a complaint and the man was fined nearly $200 for violating public decency. Imagine how much more he'd have to pay if he called them Gargamel. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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