Spanish tourist hotspots are set to impose a ban on a specific clothing item, with fines of up to £25,000 for those who wear it. The Balearic Islands—Majorca, Menorca, Ibiza, and Formentera—could outlaw the burka if legislation proposed by the right-wing Vox party and the People's Party of the Balearic Islands (PP) is approved.
Proposed Legislation and Fines
The two parties argue that the legislation protects women's rights. Under the proposal, individuals wearing burkas could face fines of £25,000. Additionally, Vox representatives have tabled a motion to punish those who force or coerce women to wear niqabs and burkas with up to four years in prison, as reported by GB News.
Manuela Canadas, a Vox MP, insisted that normalizing strict Islamic coverings "means accepting a medieval regression in the 21st century." She added: "The veil is a tool for erasing personality, designed to obliterate a woman's civil existence."
Support and Opposition
PP deputy leader Cristina Gill slammed left-wing MPs for "denying women's right to exist" by attempting to block outlawing a "practice that renders women invisible." She stated: "This is their kind of progressivism, for women who are fully veiled. They want to keep them hidden." Gill also noted that the European Court of Human Rights has previously ruled that face coverings could be limited in public spaces on security grounds.
The proposal has faced strong opposition from Spanish political parties including PSIB, MES per Mallorca, MES per Menorca, and Unidas Podemos. Left-wing and centre parties called the proposal "racist." PSIB deputy leader Teresa Suárez said the law was not intended to bolster women's rights but was "an obsessive idea of a supposed cultural threat." She added: "It uses the burka to talk about the incompatibility of Islam with our society."
Global Context
More than 20 countries worldwide have banned the burka and other full-face coverings from public spaces. France became the first European country to do so in 2011. The Balearic Islands' potential ban aligns with this global trend, though it remains controversial.
