STOCKHOLM: The Danish government on Tuesday proposed a ban on Islamic full-face veils such as the niqab and burqa in public spaces, making it likely to become the next European country to restrict the wearing of the religious garment.
“It is incompatible with the values in Danish society and disrespectful to the community to keep one’s face hidden when meeting each other in public spaces,” Justice Minister Soren Pape Poulsen said in a statement.
“With a ban on covering the face, we are drawing a line in the sand and underlining that in Denmark we show each other trust and respect by meeting face to face,” he added.
The niqab is a full veil with a small slit for the eyes, while the burqa is a full veil that covers the head and body with a mesh screen over the eyes.
The proposal is to be assessed by non-governmental human rights organizations and possibly re-written to take their remarks into consideration.
The center-right government is expected to present a bill to parliament in the spring.
With the support of the country’s second largest party, the anti-immigration Danish People’s Party, the proposed legislation is likely to be adopted.
A violation of the ban would lead to a fine of 1,000 kroner (€134).
Repeated violations would be fined up to 10,000 kroner.
The proposed ban says the “burqa, niqab and balaclavas where only eyes and mouth are visible are examples of clothes that hide the face.”
But covering the face in a recognizable manner, such as wearing winter clothing, sports gear and masks for festivities, are exempted.
It is not known how many women wear the niqab and burqa in Denmark.
“I don’t think there are many who wear the burqa here in Denmark. But if you do, you should be punished with a fine,” Poulsen told reporters, according to news agency Ritzau.
The full-face veil is a hot-button issue across Europe.
The European Court of Human Rights last year upheld a Belgian ban on wearing it in public.
France was the first European country to ban the niqab in public places with a law that took effect in 2011.
Spain’s highest court annulled in 2013 a ban on the full-face veil in public buildings that had been brought in three years earlier by the northeastern region of Catalonia.
Denmark proposes ban on Islamic full-face veil in public
Denmark proposes ban on Islamic full-face veil in public
German union calls Lufthansa pilots strike for Thursday, Friday
- Andreas Pinheiro, the union president, said there was “still no offer on the table” from Lufthansa
- Almost 800 flights were canceled during the February 12 walkout
BERLIN: Pilots for German airline Lufthansa will go on strike for a second time Thursday and Friday over a pensions dispute, the Vereinigung Cockpit union said in a statement.
The strike will affect Lufthansa Cargo and passenger flights “departing from German airports between 00:01 local time on March 12, 2026 and 23:59 local time on March 13, 2026,” the union said.
However, flights to several key Middle East destinations will be excluded from the industrial action “in light of the current situation” in the region, according to the statement.
Andreas Pinheiro, the union president, said there was “still no offer on the table” from Lufthansa following a one-day strike last month.
Almost 800 flights were canceled during the February 12 walkout, with cabin crew also staging a strike on the same day.
Pilots for Lufthansa subsidiary CityLine will hold strike on Thursday, Vereinigung Cockpit said, blaming “the failure of negotiations on a new collective wage agreement.”
Lufthansa announced one year ago that it would close Lufthansa CityLine, with operations and staff moved to a new subsidiary.
Destinations in Egypt, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Yemen, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will be excluded from the strikes, the union said.
Announcing its 2025 annual results last week, the Lufthansa group reported a forecast-beating operating profit of 1.96 billion euros ($2.27 billion), around 20 percent higher than the previous year.
However, the airline warned it faced an uncertain outlook because of the Middle East conflict.
