“If I were in the Portuguese parliament, I would have voted in favor, but with significant doubts about the real effectiveness of a law that is difficult to implement,” stated João Cotrim de Figueiredo, referring to the general approval of Chega’s bill aimed at banning the use of burqas in public spaces.
The favorable vote, he emphasized, would occur despite “never ignoring that there is an element here that cannot be politically naive.”
He explained, “When the proponent makes this proposal, they are probably not concerned with women’s rights or oppressions on women; they are concerned with certain ethnicities and certain religions that are more affected by this legislation.”
“A civilization like ours cannot allow symbols of oppression in the streets and security issues related to that,” Cotrim de Figueiredo told journalists at the International Literary Festival of Óbidos, highlighting that he agrees with the “exceptions provided in the law,” namely the use of a veil “in places of worship, when there are health issues, or for professional or representation reasons.”
Asked whether the bill challenges religious freedom, the presidential candidate noted that, recalling that in the country, “we prevent many other things that have religious origins,” including “female genital mutilation.”
Reaffirming that the prohibition of the use of the burqa does not shock him, he stressed what shocks him “is that it is done under false pretenses.”
