Burkas and niqabs are set to be banned in most public spaces in Portugal after MPs voted for a proposal to outlaw face veils introduced by a far-right political party.
The measure applies when such veils are used for “gender or religious motives” and carries fines for offenders of between 200 euros and 4,000 euros (£174-£3,473).
Anyone forcing someone else to wear one could be jailed for up to three years.
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If it becomes law, it would mirror the full or partial bans introduced by other European countries, including France, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Portugal’s President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa could veto the bill or send it to the Constitutional Court for checks.
Andre Ventura, leader of the far-right Chega party, told MPs during Friday’s debate they were “protecting female members of parliament, your daughters, our daughters, from having to use burqas in this country one day”.
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Several women MPs from left-wing parties who opposed the bill, confronted Mr Ventura in the Assembly of the Republic chamber, but the measure passed with support from the centre-right coalition.
Andreia Neto, from the ruling Social Democratic Party, said before the vote: “This is a debate on equality between men and women. No woman should be forced to veil her face.”
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Only a small minority of Muslim women in Europe cover their faces, and in Portugal, such veils are very rare.
But full-face coverings such as niqabs and burqas have become a controversial topic across the continent, with some arguing that they symbolise gender discrimination or can represent a security threat and should be outlawed.
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