
07 March 2021 Swiss Vote For Burka Ban
Swiss ‘burka ban’ Accepted By Majority – To Become Law The first national votes of 2021 brought international surprise and the expected “yes” vote for the burka ban. Switzerland voted for a ban on facial coverings including the Muslim burka and niqab in public spaces. Full facial veils will still be allowed to be worn inside places of prayer and for “native customs”, such as carnival. Face coverings worn for health and safety reasons are also exempt from the ban. The vote was not an anti-mask Covid-19 pandemic reaction vote. How many people does the burka ban impact in Switzerland? It is estimated to impact about 50 people in total in a population of close to 8.5 million. It does raise the question about how deep the Swiss thought about this topic before they voted. No-one has answered the question “How does this impact the wearing of a black veil on the train to go to a funeral or a person wearing a heavy lace veil for a public photo shoot?” They may be extreme situational highlights, yet it only takes one person to call the police and to “create a scene” even in the most innocent of situations. Next