The People Power in Switzerland has imposed ban on full veil in the Swiss region of Ticino. Any violation of prescribed law would attract a fine of up to £6,500 ($9,770 approx.).
Two thirds of citizens backed the ban in a referendum – triggered after campaigners collected enough signatures under the country’s “direct democracy” rules.
Activists claimed the ban was necessary to stop Islamic fundamentalists developing a separate, parallel society within the country.
The ban – which comes as fear of home-grown Islamic terrorists sweeps across Europe – makes it a criminal offence for women in the Italian-speaking region in southern Switzerland to cover their faces in all public places – including shops, restaurants, public buildings and behind the wheel of a car.
According to a report published in The Independent, “Amnesty International said the vote was a “black day for human rights in Ticino.”
No exceptions will be made for tourists, but other forms of face coverings such as masks, balaclavas or crash helmets will still be permitted.