Mallorca burka ban plan carries fines up to €30,000

On Mallorca, wearing a burka or niqab in public could bring a fine of up to €30,000 for repeat breaches under a plan backed by the Balearic Parliament on Tuesday, 10 November. The proposed ban would cover public spaces across the Balearic Islands. The People’s Party (PP) and Vox voted for it, but it is not yet law: Spain’s Congress of Deputies must give final approval because the plan would change the Criminal Code and other laws.

What the ban would do

The proposal also allows fines of up to €30,000 for anyone who makes a minor or a woman under their guardianship wear a burka or niqab. Someone who forces, intimidates or coerces a woman into wearing one could face up to four years in prison. Foreign nationals who repeatedly breach the proposed ban could be expelled from Spain.

Why parties are divided

Vox says the measure protects women. PP deputy Cristina Gil said it would neither ban Islam nor deny religious freedom.

Opposition parties dispute whom it would protect. Teresa Suárez of the Socialist PSIB said women forced to wear a burka already have protection under Spanish law. Marta Carrió of MÉS per Mallorca argued that the plan could instead leave those women facing fines and expulsion. The decision now rests with the Congress of Deputies.

Topics: Politics

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com