Switzerland proposes £900 fine for anyone covering their face under ‘burqa ban’ law
- Draft law was today sent to parliament by Swiss government and has exemptions
- These include suggesting waiving the ban on aircraft and in places of worship
- Comes after proposal to ban facial coverings in public won victory
- The referendum on the issue happened in Switzerland last year
Switzerland has proposed a £900 fine for anyone covering their face under a ‘burqa ban’ law.
The draft law was today sent to parliament by the Swiss government and includes several exemptions, including suggesting waiving the ban on aircraft, in diplomatic premises and places of worship.
Additionally, coverings linked to health, safety, climatic conditions and local customs would remain valid.
And artistic performances and advertising would be exempt.
Also, under the draft law, masks deemed necessary to protect oneself while exercising fundamental rights to expression and assembly would be allowed as long as authorities approved and public order was assured.
It comes after the proposal to ban facial coverings in public won a narrow victory in a binding referendum last year.
Walter Wobmann, initiator of the Burqa ban initiative speaks in March last year
The proposal was launched by the same group that organised a 2009 ban on new minarets.
While the cabinet proposal to levy fines did not mention Islam directly and is aimed at stopping violent protesters from wearing masks, local politicians, media and campaigners have referred to the measure as the ‘burqa ban.’
Following consultations, the cabinet watered down calls to anchor it in the criminal code and fine offenders up to 10,000 francs.
People hold banners during a protest hours after Swiss voters accepted an initiative, the so-called anti-burqa vote, to ban full facial coverings in public places in Bern on March 7 last year, pictured
In a statement, the cabinet said: ‘The ban on covering faces aims to ensure public safety and order. Punishment is not the priority.’
Facial coverings had been called a symbol of extreme, political Islam, according to proponents of the ban.
The vote was condemned as discriminatory by Muslim groups, who vowed legal challenges.
Full face veils were banned from being worn in public in 2011. Elsewhere, Denmark, Austria, the Netherlands and Bulgaria have full or partial bans on wearing face coverings in public.
Around 5 per cent of the Swiss population is made up of Muslims, most have roots in Turkey, Bosnia and Kosovo.