League party proposal wants to introduce prison penalties and fines for those who impose the use of the Islamic veil
Members of the League party, allies in the Italian government coalition led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (Fratelli d’Italia, right), defended legislation to ban the use of the Islamic veil in public places in Italy. The proposal also establishes severe penalties, including imprisonment, for those who force the use of the veil.
Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini (League, right) supported the proposal, saying it was a matter of “common sense”. On X (formerly Twitter), he suggested penalties including imprisonment and the suspension of Italian nationality applications for offenders.
“A common sense proposal from the League against those who do not respect our culture and the principles of Western freedom. And zero tolerance for those who oppressively force women and girls to wear the veil, with arrest and STOP on citizenship applications.”.
The proposal was presented by parliamentarian Igor Iezzi (Liga), one of Meloni’s allies, in the Chamber of Deputies. seeks to change a law that prohibits covering the face to prevent recognition of the person, except for “justified reasons”.
The proposed text removes this exception, allowing face coverings only in places of worship, for reasons of health, road safety and during sporting events. If passed, the law will make it illegal to wear face-covering Islamic veils, such as burka or the niqabin public spaces.
The action may be punished with up to 2 years in prison and fines of up to €30,000 (around R$188,540) for those who allegedly impose the use of these garments “with violence or under threat”.
