A Dutch longterm resident of Switzerland has had her citizenship request refused for the second time because of her "annoying" campaign against cow bells.
Vegan animal rights activist Nancy Holten, 42-years-old, has lived in Switzerland since she was 8, speaks fluent Swiss German, and has children with Swiss citizenship according to The Local.
So potent is her unpopularity due to her public campaigning against the Swiss traditions of livestock wearing cow bells and piglet racing, that her passport has been repeatedly refused by her community of Gipf-Oberfrick.
In Switzerland, local residents have a say in a person's passport application, and her fist attempt in 2015 was rejected by 144 out of 206 residents in a vote.
The president of the local Swiss People's Party Tanja Sauter has described Holten as a "big mouth" for sharing her views against Swiss traditions to the media, and didn't want to reward her with citizenship "if she annoys us and doesn't respect our traditions".
Speaking about her anti-cow bell stance, Holten told the Daily Mail: "The sound that cowbells make is a hundred decibel. It is comparable to a pneumatic drill. We also would not want such a thing hanging close to our ears.
"The animals carry around five kilograms around their neck. It causes friction and burns to their skin."
Holten's second attempt at naturalisation was rejected in November last year, but she's hoping third time could be a charm as her application has since since been sent to the cantonal government in Aargau for approval.
Naomi Gordon is news writer mainly covering entertainment news with a focus on celebrity interviews and television.
