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Ban on face veils advances in Swiss parliament

by Reuters
Tuesday, 27 September 2016 13:12 GMT

In this 2011 file photo a Muslim woman wearing a niqab attends a protest against islamophobia and racism organized by the Islamic Central Council of Switzerland (ICCS), in Bern. REUTERS/Michael Buholzer

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Plan by right-wing politician Walter Wobmann still has to pass through the upper house and the government before it becomes law

ZURICH, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Switzerland's lower house of parliament narrowly backed a ban on face veils on Tuesday, echoing moves by neighbouring France and other European nations to tighten controls in the wake of Islamist militant attacks.

The plan by right-wing politician Walter Wobmann - who led a successful campaign to outlaw new minarets in 2009 - still has to pass through the upper house and the government before it becomes law.

But it joins a list of measures championed by populist and right-wing movements that have polarised the Alpine nation, and drawn some criticism from abroad, including most recently a referendum ordering curbs on immigration from the EU.

Wobmann, from the anti-immigration Swiss People's Party, has said the veil ban will preserve Swiss culture and curb radical Islam. He is also pushing for a referendum on the issue.

His party, the most powerful in Swiss parliament after winning about 30 percent of seats in a 2015 election, pushed the measure through with help from lawmakers from the center-right.

It may have a tougher time passing the upper house, where parties that opposed the ban, including the Social Democrats, have a stronger presence.

A poll in August found that 71 percent of Swiss favour a nationwide burqa ban along the lines of one that went into effect in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino this year, covering locals and visitors alike.

About 5 percent of Swiss residents are Muslim and very few wear the face-covering niqab or burqa.

(Reporting by Michael Shields and John Miller; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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