Switzerland votes in favour of ‘burqa ban’

The measure to amend the Swiss constitution passed by a 51.2 to 48.8 per cent margin, provisional official results showed.

The proposal under the Swiss system of direct democracy does not mention Islam directly and also aims to stop violent street protesters from wearing masks, yet local politicians, media and campaigners have dubbed it the burqa ban.

“In Switzerland, our tradition is that you show your face. That is a sign of our basic freedoms,” Walter Wobmann, chairman of the referendum committee and a member of parliament for the Swiss People’s Party, had said before the vote.

He called facial covering “a symbol for this extreme, political Islam which has become increasingly prominent in Europe and which has no place in Switzerland”.


https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/switzerland-burqa-niqab-ban-referendum-b1813685.html

Seems odd timing to bring in a ban of face coverings when everyone is wearing one.