Lleida bans the full veil in public spaces
Quick Look
- The municipal council of Lleida, in Catalonia, approved on Friday the ban on hiding the face in public spaces, effectively targeting the burqa, with 16 votes for and 11 against.
- This measure comes against a backdrop of a hardening debate on immigration in Spain, almost two months after the massive arrival of migrants in Ceuta.
- The city had already been a pioneer in 2010 with a similar ban.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Lérida had already banned the wearing of the full veil in public spaces in 2010, becoming a pioneer in Spain on this issue. The new measure comes after the arrival of more than 70,000 migrants in Ceuta in less than 48 hours, reviving the national debate on immigration.
The Spanish city of Lérida, in Catalonia (north-east), approved on Friday the ban on “hiding the face” in public spaces, effectively prohibiting the wearing of the burqa, in the midst of the hardening debate on immigration in Spain.
With 16 votes in favor (those of the Catalan Socialist Party, the Junts and Vox separatists) and 11 against, the municipal council of this city of nearly 150,000 inhabitants, located 150 km from Barcelona, adopted a modification of its “Ordinance on civics and living together”, he indicated on the social network completely conceal the face,” it is stated in this text, which does not explicitly mention the burqa.
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Lérida was a pioneer in Spain by banning the wearing of the full veil in public spaces
The text, however, provides for “exceptions” in places of worship, while non-compliance is punishable by a fine of up to 750 euros. “Living together means respecting each other, and respecting each other also means respecting the rules,” justified the mayor of Lérida, Félix Larrosa, of the Catalan Socialist Party. This ban was passed almost two months after the unprecedented crisis in Ceuta, where more than 70,000 migrants from Morocco arrived in less than 48 hours in this Spanish enclave in North Africa.
Since then, a large majority of them have returned to Morocco. But these events have revived the debate on immigration in Spain and fueled opposition criticism of the left-wing government's migration policy, a few months before the legislative elections. Lérida, the main city of a province largely focused on agriculture and livestock, was a pioneer in Spain by banning the wearing of the full veil in public spaces in 2010.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Legal appeals will be filed against Lérida municipal ordinance
Likely · Within weeks
Open Questions
- How will the ban be applied in practice by law enforcement?
- Will there be legal recourse against this municipal ordinance?
- What impact will this measure have on relations between communities in Lérida?
