The Spanish Congress of Deputies has rejected a bill proposed by the right-wing Vox party that would have banned burqas and face coverings in public places.
“Elchi” reports that in a vote held on Tuesday, the proposal was rejected with 177 “no” votes and one abstention, while 170 “yes” votes were obtained with the support of the People’s Party (PP) and Vox.
The separatist Junts per Catalunya party, which played a key role in the vote, announced that despite wanting a similar ban, it would not support Vox’s proposal, which it called “anti-Catalan and anti-human rights.”
Instead, Junts submitted its own bill to Congress, claiming it complies with European standards.
Junts’ Bill
The single-article bill drafted by Junts covered the banning of burqas and niqabs in public places, while exempting those with face coverings for essential reasons such as health or occupational safety.
The party argued that full face covering is “a means of making women invisible in the public sphere” and is incompatible with the principle of equality.
The proposal did not provide for a specific penalty; it stated that non-compliance would be considered a crime of “disobedience.”
The bill would also include the transfer of state powers related to security and identification to Catalonia.
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