Next Friday (28 May) Lleida’s (Catalonia) town Council will discuss a motion submitted by the Catalonian nationalist party “Convergència i Unió” (CIU) on the banning of full-covering Islamic veils such as the burqa and the niqab in public.
Lleida’s Mayor Àngel Ros (Socialist Party) was the first to propose such a ban, because, according to him, the burqa and the niqab violate women rights. Now, he is prepared to support the motion submitted by CIU.
The socialist Minister of Labour and Immigration, Celestino Corbacho, has already said that he supports such a ban in the civil service. He also said that full-covering garments go against equality between men and women.
Barcelona’s Town Council also voted on a motion presented by the Popular Party to ban the burqa in public. The motion was not approved. Instead, the Council has asked its law department for a report on whether the ban is legal or not.
