David Vance SubstackRead More
I see that Portugal’s parliament has just approved a bill introduced by the Chega party to ban face coverings worn for “gender or religious reasons,” including burqas and niqabs, in most public areas. This is excellent news!
The legislation, passed yesterday, seeks to prohibit clothing intended to hide or obstruct the face in public spaces, which would place Portugal alongside several European countries such as France, Austria, Belgium, and the Netherlands that already enforce full or partial bans on face veils.
When will the UK follow?
Under the new bill, penalties for wearing face coverings in public range from fines of €200 to €2,000 for negligent violations, escalating up to €4,000 for intentional breaches. The legislation also stipulates imprisonment of up to three years for those who compel others to wear such veils through intimidation or coercion.
Isn’t this excellent stuff?
Sadly, the ban contains a number of exceptions, allowing face coverings for health reasons, professional duties, artistic or entertainment purposes, advertising, air travel (!!!!) diplomatic venues, and places of worship.
During the Portuguese parliamentary debate, Chega leader André Ventura, who spearheaded the bill, argued that anyone in Portugal must respect the country’s customs and values. Amen to that!
He emphasised protecting women, saying the law defends “female parliamentarians, your daughters, and our daughters from potentially having to wear burqas in this Country”
This legislative move by Portugal reflects a growing trend in Europe towards restricting islamic garb mg coverings in public, driven by debates over integration, security, and women’s rights.
It’s good to see this but increasingly the UK is the outrider, refusing to even countenance the issue! I say BAN THE BURQA here!
