Portugal passes bill to ban face-covering clothing (including niqabs) in public

The parliament of the western European country Portugal has approved a bill to ban the wearing of face-covering clothing (including niqabs) in public. It said the decision was taken on ‘gender or religious’ grounds.
The move on the burqa was proposed by the country’s far-right Chega party. They are in favour of banning most types of clothing such as burqas and niqabs in public. However, face-covering clothing will still be allowed on planes, diplomatic premises and places of worship.
The bill states that those who wear face-covering clothing in public will be fined between 200 euros and 4,000 euros (175 pounds and 3,475 pounds).
Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has not yet approved the bill. He could veto it or send it to the Constitutional Court for review.
If the law is signed, Portugal will be the latest European country to impose a full or partial ban on face and head coverings, after Austria, France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Not many women in Portugal wear burqa-like clothing, but the Islamic burqa has sparked controversy here, as in other European countries.
The Chega party has won the support of Portugal’s center-right parties for the bill. However, lawmakers from the country’s left-wing parties disagree.
The law is only intended to target foreigners who have a different religion (especially Muslims). No one should be forced to wear the burqa, but the far-right party’s approach is wrong,” said Pedro Delgado Alves, a lawmaker from the center-left Socialist Party. Alves’ party vetoed the bill.