Parliament approves ban on the use of the burqa in public spaces in Portugal

 

 

Parliament approves ban on the use of the burqa in public spaces in Portugal. The Chega party’s proposal was supported by the PSD, Liberal Initiative (Iniciativa Liberal, IL) and CDS. The Socialist Party (PS), Livre, PCP (Portuguese Communist Party) and Left Bloc (Bloco de Esquerda, BE) voted against, while PAN and JPP abstained.

The Assembly of the Republic approved on Friday, October 17, the ban on the use of the burqa in public spaces in Portugal. The proposal by Chega was supported by the PSD, Iniciativa Liberal (IL) and CDS. PS, Livre, PCP and Bloco de Esquerda voted against, while PAN and JPP abstained.

While the IL and CDS-PP declared support for the Chega bill that “prohibits the concealment of the face in public spaces, except for certain exceptions,” the PSD expressed its “willingness to pursue this path,” but argued that “the text presented can and should be improved during the specialty phase.”

The bill intends to prohibit the use of “clothing designed to conceal the display of the face.” Although the word burqa is not explicitly mentioned, in the argument for the law, André Ventura’s party points to the example of countries like Denmark, France, and Belgium, which have already banned the use of the Islamic veil in public spaces.

The proposed sanctions include fines ranging from 200 to four thousand euros, depending on whether the use of the burqa is due to "negligence" or "intent (dolo)." For those who force the concealment of the face, Chega advocates for a punishment "under the terms of article 154 of the Penal Code," which is up to three years in prison.

The bill was approved in general terms and will now be discussed in the Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Affairs, Rights, Freedoms and Guarantees. It will then return to the plenum for the final overall vote, and will only come into force after promulgation. In a reaction on social media, Chega wrote that “women in Portugal must be free” and that André Ventura’s party “made that happen.” “Those who do not agree can return to their country, they have no place here!”, the post read.

From "Diário de Notícias"