Spanish City Bans Burqa, Niqab in Public Spaces
The ordinance passed 16-11 and exempts places of worship and socially accepted customs, while violations carry €400 to €750 fines.
- On Friday, the Lleida city council approved a municipal ordinance banning garments that fully conceal the face in public spaces, passing the measure with a 16-11 vote targeting the burqa and niqab.
- Lleida previously banned full-face veils in 2010, but the Supreme Court annulled the rule in 2013 on religious freedom grounds. The new ordinance aims to avoid those legal pitfalls by framing the ban around civic behavior and women's rights.
- The measure prohibits "remaining in or moving through public spaces with items or elements that totally cover the face." Violations are minor offenses punishable by fines of €400 to €750, though places of worship remain exempt.
- An unusual alliance between the Socialist party, Junts, and Vox allowed Socialist Mayor Felix Larrosa to pass the measure, while the People's Party and left-wing groups voted against it.
- Unlike France or Belgium, Spain lacks federal legislation restricting face coverings. The ordinance has only initial approval and must complete administrative procedures, potentially becoming a testing ground for national policy.
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55 Articles
Arab News
Spanish city bans burqa, niqab in public spaces
BARCELONA: 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. Unlike European neighbors such as France, Portugal or Belgium, Spain has no national legislation banning or restricting the use of the garments worn by some Muslim women. A provincial capital of around 150,000 people in the northeastern region of Catalonia, around 150 kilo…
The City Council of the Spanish city of Lleida, in the region of Catalonia, approved this Friday the prohibition of wearing the face fully covered in public spaces, which includes the use of the burka or niqab, with some exceptions such as places of worship.
Woman using burca. Riccardo Vitali, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons The city of Lérida, a city in the interior of Catalonia, Spain, banned on Friday (25) the use of "elements that completely hide the face", such as the burca and the niqab, in public spaces. ^ Follow the international news channel of the g1 in WhatsApp The prohibition appears in a new "Municipal norm of civilization and coexistence", approved on Friday by the city hall, and prov…
The municipality of Lérida voted against hiding its face under penalty of a fine of 750 euros, reviving a national debate on immigration and religious freedom The city
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