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MARSEILLES

Passenger hits driver in ‘burqa ban’ bust-up

A bus driver in Marseilles has gone on sick leave after being assaulted by a passenger on Monday evening for refusing to allow a veiled woman to board his bus unless she agreed to show her face.

Woman in Dubai wearing a hijab.
Glenn R Carter

The incident occurred when the number 19 bus pulled in at a bus stop near the city’s Prado beach at 6.30pm. on Monday, newspaper La Provence reports.

On seeing the woman attempt to board the bus with a friend, the driver requested that she remove the veil from her face in line with France’s new laws forbidding full-face coverings. 

According to a report in Le Parisien, the driver then announced to passengers that he would not resume the journey until the woman had revealed her face and he was satisfied that her identity matched that of the photo on her travel card.

The woman refused to comply with the request, La Provence said, preferring instead to step back down from the vehicle and wait for the next bus.

A number of young passengers who supported the woman’s stance then prevented the driver from closing the door and continuing along his route, calling him a racist.

A skirmish broke out and one of the passengers punched the driver in the face.

Police were called to the scene, but by the time they arrived most witnesses had fled. Officers questioned the women at the centre of the incident, who, though unrepentant, said that she had not intended to create a scene.

France’s prohibition of full-face coverings, often dubbed the ‘burqa ban’, came into force in October last year. Anyone refusing to show their face risks incurring a fine.

Marseilles public transport firm RTM said it was launching an internal investigation into the incident. Speaking to La Provence, RTM chief Karim Zéribi criticized what he called “the driver’s inappropriate reaction”, explaining that the company’s employees had received instructions not to challenge veiled passengers if they were in possession of valid travel cards.

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REFERENDUM

EXPLAINED: What is Switzerland’s ‘anti-burqa’ initiative all about?

Swiss voters will go to the ballot box on March 7th to weigh in on three issues. One of the most controversial ones is the so-called ‘anti-burqa’ initiative.

EXPLAINED: What is Switzerland’s ‘anti-burqa’ initiative all about?
A campaign poster to ban burqas in Switzerland. Photo by Fabrice Coffrini / AFP

What is this issue about?

The ‘Yes to a ban on full facial coverings’ initiative seeks to outlaw both religious and non-religious forms of facial concealment in public spaces.

It is ironic, of course, that currently everyone from the age of 12 must be wearing masks which, in itself, are a form of facial concealment.

OPINION: Switzerland’s ‘burka ban’ curtails rather than strengthens individual freedoms

However, this particular initiative applies to total disguise, as in burqa or niqab, both of which cover women’s faces to different degrees.

Exemptions would apply to religious sites, health reasons or in the event of particular weather conditions.

Who is backing this initiative?

A group called the Egerkingen Committee is behind the drive to outlaw burqas and other forms of Muslim wear that conceal the face.

The group consists of members of the rightwing Swiss People’s Party (SVP), which has a long history of anti-Muslim actions, including the highly contentious 2009 referendum to ban the construction of minarets on Switzerland’s mosques.

The measure was accepted by Swiss voters. 

“The full veil is closely linked to radical Islamist ideology and is contrary to our way of life,” said Walter Wobmann, chairman of the Egerkingen committee. “

“In our culture, it is customary to show your face in public space. Hiding your face violates social order”, he noted.

READ MORE: EXPLAINED: What is at stake in Switzerland’s March 7th referendums? 

Who is opposing this measure?

All of Switzerland’s other major political parties have spoken against the ban.

Centrist and left-leaning parties have formed a committee which campaigns against this move.

“Clothing regulations have no place in the Federal Constitution. The initiative tackles a false problem, ignores existing rules and stokes social tensions. In addition, it intrudes on private life and does not take into account cantonal disparities. Politicians from all major parties therefore oppose this populist proposal”, the committee wrote on its website.

The government is also urging voters to defeat this proposal, arguing that it goes too far.

Instead, the Federal Council and the parliament have created a counter-proposal, which require persons to show their faces to the police or other officials if this is necessary for identification purposes.

“The counter-proposal, which can only come into force if the initiative is rejected, would also introduce measures aimed at improving women’s rights,” authorities said.

Are burqas really a problem in Switzerland?

The opponents of the initiative point out that in Switzerland, no woman wears what is called ‘burqa’, that is to say, a full veil that also hides the eyes with a grid.

“According to a recent study, in addition to Arab tourists, there are 20 to 30 women in Switzerland wearing the niqab. The majority of niqab wearers in Switzerland are socialised in the West, have an average to very good education and wear the niqab out of conviction”, not to spearhead radical Muslim ideas, they say.

In all, Muslims account for just over 5 percent of Switzerland’s population of 8.6 million people, and form the third largest religion group after the dominant Roman Catholic and Protestant communities, although just 50,000 are estimated to worship openly.

READ MORE: Switzerland to hold a referendum on ending coronavirus restrictions 

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