CARACAS, Sept 24: A second Swiss canton will introduce a regional "burqa ban", after voters in St. Gallen overwhelmingly voted Sunday to prohibit all face-covering garments in public spaces.
Nearly 67 percent of voters in the northeastern Swiss canton voted in favor of the new law, according to official results, paving the way for it to follow the example of the southern canton of Ticino, where a law was introduced two years ago that appeared to be aimed at burqas and other Muslim veils.
A text stipulating that "any person who renders themselves unrecognizable by covering their face in a public space, and thus endangers public security or social and religious peace will be fined" was adopted by lawmakers in St. Gallen late last year.
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Switzerland's government last year opposed an initiative aimed at creating a nationwide burqa ban, saying it should be up to the regions to determine if such measures are appropriate.
Voters across Switzerland are however expected to be called to vote on the issue next year after the populist right-wing Swiss People's Party gathered the 100,000 signatures needed to put any subject to a referendum as part of Switzerland's famous direct democratic system.
The Swiss debate follows measures in other European countries to restrict facial coverings.
The Dutch upper House of parliament on Tuesday passed a law banning the wearing of face-covering veils in public buildings, such as schools, government offices, and hospitals.
France’s ban was upheld in 2014 by the European Court of Human Rights. Germany’s parliament last year backed a ban on full-face veils for civil servants, judges and soldiers, while Austria and Bulgaria have also banned facial coverings.
