France votes against burqa: Parliament passes bill on veils

France’s Parliament passed a law Tuesday prohibiting wearing a full-face veil in public, meaning a ban will come into force early next year if it is not overturned by senior judges. 

The bill was passed by 246 votes to one and, following approval in the lower house in July. It will now be reviewed by the Constitutional Council, which has a month to confirm bill’s legality.

“To see without being seen undeniably constitutes a break in equality and at the same time an offence against human dignity, especially against women’s dignity,” Euronews quoted Senator Francois-Noël Buffet as saying.

According to the bill, women will pay a 150-euro burqa ban, while men who force them to wear it will pay 30,000 euros. The legislation will also bring in force an imprisonment for men.

So, France can become the second European country after Belgium to criminalise wearing the burqa.