Denmark bans women from wearing full face veils in public

Danish lawmakers have passed, Thursday, a law banning women from wearing full face veils in public, joining other European countries. The law was backed at the parliament by 75 votes and rejected by 30 others, says Le Monde.

The new measure will be implemented on August the 1st. «First-time offenses can incur a fine of 1,000 kroner (€134, $157), with repeat offenses carrying higher penalties up to 10,000 kroner or a jail sentence up to six months», reports German newspaper DW.

The law prohibits women «from wearing garments covering their faces», says the same source, stressing that it «doesn’t include protective masks, winter clothing such as scarves or costumes, motorcycle helmets and masks often worn during Carnival or at Halloween».

The first country to adopt a similar law was France in 2010. It was implemented in 2011 and the European Court of Human Rights validated it in 2014.

Belgium and Austria have also banned the wearing of the Islamic veil in public. In Germany, a law has been adopted to partially prohibit the wearing of the full-face veil in certain situations, particularly for public officials who must have their faces uncovered while in office, as well as those who are subject to identity checks.

The text was adopted by the German deputies in April 2017, then by the Bundesrat, the Upper House, on 12 May of the same year.