Swiss voters favour ‘burqa ban’, poll shows ahead of public vote

A majority of Swiss voters favour introducing a nationwide ban on wearing face-covering garments in public spaces.

According to a Tamedia poll of 15,000 eligible voters on Friday, 63 per cent of those questioned said they would vote yes or were considering voting yes in an upcoming vote on face coverings, the Tages Anzeiger newspaper reported.

The referendum is on March 7, when the Swiss will also vote on a range of other issues as part of the country’s direct democratic system.

The proposed ban does not include Covid-19 face masks as these come within exemptions for “health reasons” and in “places of worship”.

The Swiss are set to vote on whether they want to ban full facial coverings in public on March 7, when they will also vote on a range of other issues as part of the country’s direct democratic system.

The text of the proposed ban does not mention Muslim veils explicitly, stating only that “no one shall cover their face in public, nor in areas accessible to the public or in areas where services are ordinarily accessible to all”.

But the proposal, which has been opposed by the Swiss government, is widely seen as targeting niqabs, burqas and other face-covering veils worn by some Muslim women.

The initiative proposes some exceptions to the ban, including in “places of worship” and for “health reasons”.