An 82-year-old man filed a criminal complaint against the city (photo: zurinews)

Every year, the small Swiss town of Bassersdorf makes a large doll, “Böögg”, which glows at Sechseläuten, an annual celebration to mark the beginning of spring.

Böögg is usually designed to represent a snowman and is meant to celebrate the end of winter, but Bassersdorf has a habit of moving in the other direction.

Instead of winter, Bassersdorf has created his figures in the past to represent those he views negatively, including dictators like Kim Jong Un and Mu’ammar Al-Gaddafi.

This year, the city created something similar to a transgender woman called “Diversity Böögg”.

According to the Swedish newspaper Queer.de, Bogi was wearing a rainbow skirt, a red tie, makeup, chest and penis.

There was a backlash after the image, and a resident filed a criminal charge against the city.

Christian Weiss, the ritual master, argued that this was not an attack on humans, but a statement of “extensive narcissistic hypersensitivity and morbid lack of humor”.

Weiss said that he intended to focus on what is happening now, but that he is very unhappy with the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, and believes that Sechseläuten should be “happy and cheerful”.

Instead, the organizers of the ceremony opted for gender and diversity, burning the figure of a transgender woman.

“Many spectators smiled when (the wind) blew away the boogie skirt,” Wyeth said.

But not everyone has seen the bright side.

An 82-year-old man has filed a criminal charge against a local government, calling the ceremony “inhumane” and saying the “distorted images” affect a group of people who are particularly stigmatized. ..

The same man was said to have complained in 2017 that the fireworks at the event were too big, and a year later Böögg was created according to him.

The local prosecutor was not charged based on the complaint. However, residents also reported the ceremony to the Office for Equal Opportunities in Zurich, its director, Helena Trussel, told local media this week.

“Because of the doll’s appearance, it is impossible to symbolically burn it,” he said.

“Gestures that violate any dignity that violate the integrity of the person are not allowed,” he said, referring to equality laws and non-discrimination norms. “Everyone should think about the city council. He has a role model.”

Mayor Doris Meyer issued a statement of apology to all those affected by the incident.

He understood that “the behavior brought different points of view on this sensitive issue”, and said that he regrets “if people’s emotions offend”.

But he said he didn’t think that was the intention.

“I don’t think the person in charge wanted to offend anyone, but he did want to pay attention to the issue of diversity.

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