Spain city bans burqa, niqab in public spaces

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The Spanish city of Lleida on Friday approved a ban on full-face coverings in most public spaces in a rare step targeting the Muslim burqa and niqab in the country.

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Unlike European neighbours such as France, Portugal or Belgium, Spain has no national legislation banning or restricting the use of the garments worn by some Muslim women.

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A provincial capital of around 150,000 people in the northeastern region of Catalonia, around 150 kilometres (90 miles) west of Barcelona, Lleida banned full-face veils in some public spaces in 2010, in a first for Spain.

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But the Spanish Supreme Court nullified the measure in 2013 following a long legal challenge by a Muslim association.

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The court ruled that the ban infringed on religious freedom and transgressed the powers of a local authority, also cancelling similar measures adopted in other municipalities.

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A meeting of Lleida’s city parliament on Friday voted 16-11 to modify a municipal law that was drawn up with the aim of avoiding similar legal pitfalls.

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The measure includes a ban on “remaining in or moving through public spaces with items or elements that totally cover the face”, without explicitly mentioning the burqa or the niqab.

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The burqa is a one-piece garment that covers the entire head and body, whereas the niqab is a face veil that leaves the eyes clear.

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The reform allows for “exceptions linked to cases involving the exercise of basic rights, places of worship and spaces or uses where these customs are socially accepted”.

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Those who break the new law will incur fines.

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The Catalan Socialist party joined an unusual alliance with far-right formation Vox and Catalan separatists Junts to pass the measure, according to the city hall.

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“Living together means respecting one another, and respecting one another also means following the rules,” Lleida’s Socialist mayor Felix Larrosa told the municipal parliament.

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AFP

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