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Spanish City Bans Burqa, Niqab in Public Spaces After Legal Battle
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News18•25-09-2026, 22:18
Spanish City Bans Burqa, Niqab in Public Spaces After Legal Battle
- •Lleida, a Spanish city, has approved a ban on full-face coverings in most public spaces, targeting the Muslim burqa and niqab.
- •This move is rare in Spain, which lacks national legislation on such bans, unlike France, Portugal, or Belgium.
- •Lleida's previous ban in 2010 was nullified by the Spanish Supreme Court in 2013, citing infringement on religious freedom and overreach of local authority.
- •The city parliament voted 16-11 to modify a municipal law, banning "remaining in or moving through public spaces with items or elements that totally cover the face" without explicitly naming burqa or niqab.
- •The new law includes exceptions for basic rights, places of worship, and socially accepted customs, with fines for violations; it passed with an unusual alliance of Socialist, Vox, and Junts parties.
Key Questions Answered
The city of Lleida approved a ban on remaining in or moving through public spaces with items or elements that totally cover the face.
The court ruled that the earlier ban infringed on religious freedom and transgressed the powers of a local authority.
The measure was passed by an alliance consisting of the Catalan Socialist party, the far-right formation Vox, and Catalan separatists Junts.
