Sacha Baron Cohen irritates Austrians

A few days before the release of his new comedy, Sacha Baron Cohen irritates Austria, which fears a drop in tourism.

Having annoyed Kazakhstan two years ago with «Borat», this time around Sacha Baron Cohen is ruffling feathers in Austria with his peculiar brand of humor.

As an über-Gay fashion stylist named «Brüno», with allusions to Adolf Hitler and the dictator's memoirs, «Mein Kampf», the English comedian is exasperating the inhabitants of Austria, who don't want their country re-saddled with nasty old memories of the bloody Third Reich.

In «Brüno», Cohen's character calls himself «the most famous Austrian since Hitler».

Insulted to the core, Austria is very fearful of its image: on top of the economic crisis, a drop in tourism due to the movie could cause even more damage. However, should any thought be given to legal action, this would only make «Brüno» even more popular, and in turn intensify Austria's negative image.