Lleida Enacts Ban on Full-Face Coverings in Public Spaces

BARCELONA: The Spanish city of Lleida approved a ban on full-face coverings in most public spaces on Friday, marking a rare step in the country against the Muslim burqa and niqab.

Unlike European neighbors such as France, Portugal, or Belgium, Spain lacks national legislation banning or restricting the use of these garments worn by some Muslim women.

A provincial capital of roughly 150,000 people in the northeastern Catalonia region, situated about 150 kilometers (90 miles) west of Barcelona, Lleida originally banned full-face veils in some public spaces in 2010, a first for Spain.

However, the Spanish Supreme Court nullified the measure in 2013 after a prolonged legal challenge by a Muslim association.

The court ruled that the ban infringed upon religious freedom and exceeded the powers of a local authority, also canceling similar measures adopted by other municipalities.

In a meeting on Friday, Lleida’s city parliament voted 16-11 to modify a municipal law drafted to avoid similar legal pitfalls.

The measure includes a ban on “remaining in or moving through public spaces with items or elements that totally cover the face,” without explicitly mentioning the burqa or the niqab.

The burqa is a one-piece garment covering the entire head and body, whereas the niqab is a face veil that leaves the eyes exposed.

The reform allows for “exceptions linked to cases involving the exercise of basic rights, places of worship, and spaces or uses where these customs are socially accepted.”

Violators of the new law will face fines.

The Catalan Socialist party formed an unusual alliance with the far-right Vox and Catalan separatists Junts to pass the measure, according to the city hall.

“Living together means respecting one another, and respecting one another also means following the rules,” Lleida’s Socialist mayor Felix Larrosa told the municipal parliament.

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