A bill submitted today to the Assembleia da República by Chega aims to prohibit the use of attire in public spaces that is intended to conceal or obstruct the visibility of one’s face.
Chega also proposes a ban on forcing individuals to hide their faces for gender or religious reasons.
The party intends for this prohibition to apply to events, sports practices, and demonstrations, though it excludes airplanes, diplomatic and consular premises, and places of worship or other sacred sites.
The bill allows exceptions for health, professional, artistic, entertainment, or advertising reasons, as well as for security concerns, weather conditions, or when permitted by law.
Chega suggests fines for non-compliance, ranging from 200 to 2000 euros for negligence, doubling in cases of intent.
Chega wants anyone who forces someone to hide their face “through threats, violence, coercion, abuse of authority, or abuse of power, due to their gender,” to be punished under Article 154 of the Penal Code, regarding qualified bodily harm.
The party notes that the Portuguese state is secular and argues there is no reason to allow “the display of religious symbols in public institutions, such as non-religious schools, hospitals, public transportation, and other state-governed or owned places.”
The bill, signed by the party leader, mentions that France already bans the wearing of full-face veils in public spaces and points out that the European Court of Human Rights has deemed this measure legitimate.
The far-right party asserts that security “is a right of all citizens on national territory, regardless of their origin, and it is the state’s duty to ensure this prerogative.”
Chega refers to French law, stating “hiding the face violates the minimum requirements of life in society,” and argues that covering the face “subjects people to situations of exclusion and inferiority incompatible with the principles of freedom, equality, and human dignity.”
“In Portugal, the respect for women’s dignity is often obliterated by those who frequently invoke it. Therefore, measures should be adopted not only in an abstract and objective manner to protect and guarantee the security of citizens in national territory, but also specifically and individually directed towards upholding the principles of dignity and respect for women that should guide any rule of law,” the party emphasizes.
