The Parliament approved this Friday, in general terms, a bill proposed by Chega to ban the use of the burqa in public spaces, citing women’s rights and security concerns as reasons behind the initiative.
The initiative received support from Chega, PSD, IL, and CDS-PP, faced opposition from PS, Livre, BE, and PCP, and saw abstentions from PAN and JPP.
However, what did the left say against this bill introduced by André Ventura’s party? The PS argued for caution in drafting laws, warning against the far-right’s intention to “direct hate” towards a “specific target”—in this case, the Muslim community—while PCP and BE contested the proposal, and Livre accused Chega of deliberately presenting a “badly made” project, refusing to engage in this debate.
“People deserve more than this, dammit”
Speaking for PS, Pedro Delgado Alves acknowledged that no one in the chamber “feels comfortable with the subjugation of a woman through the full covering of the face”. However, he advocated addressing this issue “with education and work within communities,” calling for seriousness and respect in the legislative debate on handling “this challenge,” considering the “various fundamental rights.” “People deserve more than this, dammit”, the PS deputy exclaimed, dismissing the creation of “generic prohibitions targeting a specific group, as declared by the proponents.”
“I am against the burqa and against those who support it”
Rui Tavares from Livre emphasized: “I will not spend a second defending something I oppose; I am against the burqa, and more so against those who support it”—a statement that prompted reactions and interjections from the chamber concerning his use of the word “gajos,” which André Ventura later repeated, addressing Livre.
The co-spokesperson for Livre argued that Chega’s project “is a trap” by those who do not want “to seriously discuss this topic, but rather introduce a poorly made proposal to provoke votes against and thereby garner media attention.”
Against narcissistic predators who want to force women to cover their faces. And others too. https://t.co/A26GBBzn3t
— rui tavares (@ruitavares) October 17, 2025
“Violation of freedom” and Chega seeks to “spread hate”
Andreia Galvão from BE stated that this project “violates the constitutional principle of freedom, conscience, and religion”, arguing that “the law already protects the right of each woman—indeed, of every person—to dress as they wish, without coercion” and allows the security forces to request identification in certain circumstances.
The role of the State is not to decide how people should dress. The role of the State is to ensure no one is discriminated against for how they dress. pic.twitter.com/2yvyXoEcV8
— Bloco de Esquerda (@BlocoDeEsquerda) October 17, 2025
The parliamentary leader of PCP, Paula Santos, viewed the debate’s topic as not representing “an urgent problem” in society and accused Chega of wanting to “spread hate,” targeting Muslim women “as if they lacked the ability to think and the right to decide.”
“While thousands of women face real hardships, Chega prefers to invent enemies and sow hate.”
– Paula Santos
️ See here the full speech by Paula Santos:
https://t.co/zc972PPy58 https://t.co/kQ8isBZMM1 pic.twitter.com/PHUP4L7AIg— PCP (@pcp_pt) October 17, 2025
The bill will now be discussed in the parliamentary committee on Constitutional Affairs, Rights, Freedoms, and Guarantees.
More than 20 countries have banned the use of burqas and other veils covering women’s faces in public spaces, citing the protection of secular values, the fight against religious extremism, or even public safety reasons.
Lusa | 16:10 – 17/10/2025
