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Portugese politician and founder of far-right political party Chega, André Ventura, went viral for his comment as Portugal’s parliament approved a bill banning religious face veils in public. The bill was proposed by Ventura’s party and received support from the centre-right PSD, Liberal Initiative and CDS-PP.A video of André Ventura is going viral where he is explaining that if someone wants to wear a burqa, the steps are simple. “Take a flight to Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan. Not here,” he said showing a flight in his hand gesture. The bill prohibits the “use, in public spaces, of clothing intended to conceal or obstruct the display of the face”, as is the case with the burqa — a full-body garment that covers a woman from head to foot — and niqabs — the full-face Islamic veil with space around the eyes.It also prevents the act of “forcing someone to hide their face for reasons of gender or religion”, the parliamentary initiative reads. Exceptions include when facial concealment “is duly justified for health reasons or professional, artistic, entertainment or publicity reasons”.The ban does not apply on airplanes or in diplomatic and consular premises and faces can also be covered in places of worship and similar other sacred places. Also excluded from the ban is “the concealment of the face for reasons related to security or due to climatic conditions, or whenever this results from a legal provision that allows it”.
Parliament approves burqa ban bill: What’s next?
The law will now be debated in the parliamentary committee on Constitutional Affairs, Rights, Freedoms and Guarantees, where it may also be amended. After that, it will return to plenary for the final overall vote. President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa still has to approve the bill. He could veto it or send it to the Constitutional Court for review.The measures would then apply to all public spaces, including “public roads, as well as places open to the public, used for public service”, as well as “in all places where services generally accessible to all citizens are provided”. They also extend to “sporting events or practices and demonstrations”.
€200 fine for wearing burqa
Those who fail to comply with the new rules could face fines of between €200 and €2,000, “in the event of negligence”. In cases of wilful misconduct, fines could reach to between €400 and €4,000 euros.
