Portugal’s Parliament has approved a Bill banning face veils worn in public for “gender or religious” reasons. The legislation was proposed by the far-right Chega party and would prohibit coverings such as burqas and niqabs. A burqa is a full-body garment that covers a woman from head to foot. Niqabs are veils that cover the face but leave space around the eyes.

The move in Portugal would ban such garments from being worn in most public places. Face veils would still be allowed on planes, diplomatic premises, and places of worship. Under the legislation, anyone found to have breached the ban could face a fine ranging between £174 and £3,475 (€200 and € 4,000).

Portuguese president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, has yet to approve the Bill and could veto it or send it to the country’s Constitutional Court for review.

If signed into law, Portugal would join several European countries, such as Austria, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, which have full or partial bans on face and head coverings.

Not many women in Portugal wear such coverings, but the issue of Islamic veils has generated controversy similar to other European countries.

Chega cited France and other European Union countries’ rationales for banning face coverings commonly worn by Muslim women. The party received support for the Bill from centre-right parties.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s ruling party, Brothers of Italy, recently tabled legislation to ban the burqa and niqab in a move aimed at targeting “cultural separatism”.

In the Bill, Chega said hiding the face subjects individuals — especially women — “to situations of exclusion and inferiority”. The text of the Bill said this is incompatible with principles such as “liberty, equality and human dignity.”

Exceptions include when concealing the face is “justified for health reasons or professional, artistic, entertainment or publicity reasons”.

Politicians from left-leaning parties object to the legislation. Pedro Delgado Alves’s Socialist Party voted against the Bill.

He said the legislation was being used to target foreigners and people of a different faith, adding that while no woman should be forced to wear a veil, the far-right party’s approach was wrong.

Chega leader André Ventura said whoever arrives in Portugal, wherever they come from, with whatever customs and religion they have, “must comply with, respect and ensure” the customs and values of the country are respected.