Muslim full face veil to be banned in public places in Austria
Police officers, judges, magistrates and public prosecutors will also be prohibited from wearing head scarves
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Austria is planning to ban Islamic full-face veils in courts, schools and other public places.
The prohibition will apply to the niqab and burqa, the full-face or face-and-body coverings worn by some Muslim women.
It comes as part of a package of reforms drawn up by the country's governing coalition to counter the rise of the far-right Freedom Party, which has topped opinion polls for months.
"We believe in an open society that is also based on open communication. Full-body veils in public spaces stand against that and will therefore be prohibited," the agreement said.
The country's coalition also agreed to prohibit police officers, judges, magistrates and public prosecutors from wearing head scarves in the interest of appearing "ideologically and religiously neutral" while serving the state.
The French parliament passed an act more than six years ago that made France the first European Union country to ban the niqab and burqa in public places.
Belgium and some parts of Switzerland followed France's lead and similar bans have been considered in other European countries.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments