{UAH} Denmark's burqa ban comes into force: Protests take place over new law against Islamic face veil that could see repeat offenders jailed for six months
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Denmark's burqa ban comes into force: Protests take place over new law against Islamic face veil that could see repeat offenders jailed for six months
- Hundreds of Danes have rallied in Copenhagen after burqa ban came in to effect
- Muslim community hits back at government: 'We will not bow to discrimination'
- New restrictions on Islamic face veils were approved by MPs in Denmark in May
- Repeat offenders risk fines of up to £1,200 or a jail sentence of up to six months
Protesters wearing niqab and body-length burqas have marched in Denmark after the country's ban on wearing face veils in public was put into action.
Hundreds of demonstrators, most with children, marched in solidarity with Muslim women despite risking fines of 1,000 kroner (£120) or jail time.
Non-niqab-wearing Muslim women and non-Muslim Danes with faces masked or covered also took part.
Hundreds of demonstrators, most with children, marched in solidarity with Muslim women despite risking fines of 1,000 kroner (£120) or jail time
Ayah, 37, a wearer of the niqab weeps as she is embraced by a police officer during a demonstration against the Danish face veil ban in Copenhagen
Police officers stand guard as masked demonstrators surround the Bellahoj Police Station in Copenhagen as part of the protest against Denmark's face veil ban
Danish women wore niqabs, hijabs and burqas, risking a fine of 1,000 kroner (£120) or jail time for those caught wearing the face veil in public
A line of protesters link arms in Copenhagen, including non-Muslim men and women who covered their face in solidarity with women no longer allowed to wear the niqab
'We need to send a signal to the government that we will not bow to discrimination,' student Sabina, 21, told Reuters.
She said the law that could see repeat offenders jailed for up to six months 'specifically targets a religious minority'.
A 30-year-old Muslim woman interviewed in daily Berlingske, identified only as Sarah, said she had 'lost faith in the system'.
Born and raised in Denmark by parents who emigrated from Turkey, she has worn the niqab since she was 18.
'I've realised that democracy doesn't work. Politicians boast of freedoms and rights when they are making fun of Muslims and when they are drawing caricatures of the prophet.
'But when it comes to me, they take away my right to choose how I want to dress,' she said.
Denmark's face veil ban will affect Muslim women who argue the controversial law 'specifically targets a religious minority'
A student (not pictured) told reporters: 'We need to send a signal to the government that we will not bow to discrimination'
The centre poster reads 'Keep your hands of my niqab', as Muslim women in Denmark protest
'I have come to the realisation that Muslims don't have the same rights as others. So much of politics is hypocritical.'
A smaller demonstration arranged by 'For Frihed' (For Freedom), which is pro face veil ban, also took place.
Restrictions on Islamic face veils were approved by MPs in May after being brought forward by the country's centre-right coalition, known for tightening asylum and immigration rules in recent years.
But as the law took effect today, making Denmark the fifth European nation to outlaw full-face veils, supporters and opponents of the ban clashed verbally.
'My clothes my choice': The march started at the Danish capital's central district of Norrebro to Bellahoj police station on the outskirts of the city
First-time offenders risk a fine of 1,000 kroner (£120). Repeat offenses could trigger fines of up to 10,000 kroner (£1,200) or a jail sentence of up to six months.
Anyone forcing a person to wear garments covering the face by using force or threats can be fined or face up to two years in prison. Austria, France and Belgium have similar laws.
Marcus Knuth of the ruling liberal party Venstre, says the dress worn by some conservative Muslim women is 'strongly oppressive.'
Sasha Andersen of the 'Party Rebels' activist group, is planning a protest against what they called a 'discriminatory' measure against a minority group. Activists that back the ban also plan to rally.
A smaller demonstration arranged by 'For Frihed' (For Freedom), which is pro face veil ban, also took place in Denmark
This morning, Amnesty International's Deputy Europe Director Fotis Filippou said all women 'should be free to dress as they please and to wear clothing that expresses their identity or beliefs'.
'This ban will have a particularly negative impact on Muslim women who choose to wear the niqab or burqa,' Filippou said.
'Whilst some specific restrictions on the wearing of full face veils for the purposes of public safety may be legitimate, this blanket ban is neither necessary nor proportionate and violates women's rights to freedom of expression and religion.
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'If the intention of this law was to protect women's rights it fails abjectly. Instead, the law criminalises women for their choice of clothing - making a mockery of the freedoms Denmark purports to uphold.'
Other European countries have similar bans, claiming they are not aimed at any religion in particular, and don't ban headscarves, turbans or the traditional Jewish skull cap.
Denmark's new face veil ban is likely to apply to the niqab and burqa - not the hijab and chador
Danish lawmakers voted 75-30 in favour of the legislation in a bid to uphold 'secular and democratic values'.
Popularly known as the 'Burqa Ban,' it is mostly seen as being directed at the niqab and burqa. Few Muslim women in Denmark wear such full-face veils.
The law allows people to cover their face when there is a 'recognisable purpose' like cold weather or complying with other legal requirements, such as using motorcycle helmets required under Danish traffic rules.
Under the law, police will be able to instruct women to remove their veils or order them to leave public areas.
Restrictions on Islamic face veils were approved by MPs in May after being brought forward by the country's centre-right coalition, known for tightening asylum and immigration rules in recent years
Justice Minister Soren Pape Poulsen said officers would fine them and tell them to go home.
As of 2017, non-Western immigrants account for 8.7 percent of Denmark's 5.7 million population.
Around half a million are from Muslim backgrounds, a group that swelled with Afghan, Iraqi and Syrian refugees crossing Europe.
In 2016, Denmark also adopted a law requiring newly arrived asylum-seekers to hand over valuables such jewelry and gold to help pay for their stays in the country.
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