Swiss region overwhelmingly votes for ‘burqa ban’
Geneva, Switzerland - A second Swiss canton is introducing a regional ‘burqa ban’, after voters in St Gallen emphatically voted on Sunday to prohibit all face-covering garments in public spaces.
At the same time, voters across Switzerland resoundingly rejected initiatives aimed at boosting local farming and promoting more ethical and environmental standards in food production, amid fears of cost hikes and reduced consumer choice.
In the northeastern canton of St Gallen, nearly 67 per cent of voters came out in favour of introducing the implicit ‘burqa ban’, according to official results, which showed turnout was 36 per cent. That paves the way for the canton to follow the example of the southern region of Ticino, where a law was introduced two years ago that appeared to be aimed at burqas and other Muslim veils. Three other cantons - Zurich, Solothurn and Glarus - have rejected such bans in recent years.
A text stipulating that ‘any person who renders themselves un- recognisable 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.
That law passed the regional parliament with support from the populist right and centre parties - but the issue was put to the people after the Green and Green Liberal parties demanded a referendum.
Supporters of the ban insisted in the campaign literature that ‘it is integral to our culture and our values to be able to look each other in the eyes without hiding’.
The Islamic Central Council of Switzerland on Sunday slammed the ban as ‘Islamophobic’. Other opponents say the ban was useless, stressing that very few women wear burqas or other face-covering veils in St Gallen.
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.