Spanish town could vote to ban use of burqa in municipal offices

LONDON - A Spanish town could become the first in the country to ban the wearing of the burqa in municipal buildings.

The Telegraph quoted the Lerida mayor’s office, as saying that the town could become the first in the country to ban the wearing of the burqa in municipal buildings.

The mayor’s officer said that a proposal in this regard has been forwarded to the legal services department to look into the possibility of banning the garment in all public spaces in the name of the fundamental rights of women.

“We cannot regulate the usage of the burqa in the road, but we can do that in municipal buildings,” the mayor’s spokesman said.

Few women wear the full veil in Lerida, a town in the Catalonia region that has about 140,000 residents, one-fifth of whom are immigrants including from North Africa.

The garment has sparked intense debate in many European countries, with Belgium deputies last month backing a draft law banning the garment in all public places, including on the streets, in a first for Europe.

The text must be adopted by the upper house Senate before it can come into effect.

France’s cabinet has also approved a draft law to ban the full-face veil from public spaces, opening the way for the text to go before parliament in July.

Spain’s socialist government is opposed to legislating against the burqa. (ANI)