The bill was proposed by the Chega Party in Portugal and will ban the use of the face covering in most public places, but they will be still allowed on airplanes, places of worship, as well as in diplomatic settings, per The Guardian. The bill states that fines will be imposed between the range of 200 to 4,000 euros. Some of the face coverings that would be banned include the burqa as well as niqabs.
If the bill is signed into law, Portugal will join a number of European countries that have passed into law full or partial bans on the face coverings. The countries that have already implemented such bans include Austria, France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
The bill got support from the Chega Party as well as others. However, left-wing parties disagreed with the move. “This initiative is used solely to target foreigners, those who have a different faith,” center-left Socialist party lawmaker Pedro Delgado Alves said.
President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has yet to approve the bill. He could veto the measure or send it off to the constitutional court to be reviewed.
Chega Party leader Andre Ventura said of the measure, "We are today protecting female members of parliament, your daughters, our daughters, from having to use burqas in this country one day."
