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2019

  • August 2019: Law on face covering in the Netherlands

On 1 August 2019, a law on face covering came into force in the Netherlands. The Face Coverings (Partial Ban) Act states that, "It is forbidden to wear clothing on public transport and in buildings and associated grounds of educational institutions, government institutions and healthcare institutions that completely covers the face or covers it in such a way that only the eyes are not covered or it renders the face unrecognisable."
The debate had been ongoing since the years 2000, when it arose on the occasion of discussions about integration policy. The lower house of Parliament passed a law banning face veils in public buildings, including schools, government offices and hospitals; the Dutch upper house of parliament passed it in 2018. (See The Independent or Whatson.)
For a more detailed presentation of this issue, see an article on "The matter of face covering in the Netherlands" by Martijn de Koning, in English as a pdf document or in Dutch on his blog Closer (August 2019).

D 16 January 2020   

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