A proposed referendum would ban full-face coverings in public spaces in Switzerland. Polls show that 63% of Swiss voters support the ban.
On March 7, Swiss citizens will vote on a referendum that would ban full-face coverings, like burqas and niqabs, from being worn in public. Polls show that 63% of Swiss voters support the ban and plan to vote in favor of it. The text of the ban, supported by members of Switzerland’s right-wing Swiss People’s Party, does not specifically mention Muslim veils, but the ban is widely seen as targetting face coverings worn by Muslim women.
The Swiss government has urged voters to reject the proposed ban, with officials saying that the decision to ban full-face coverings should be left up to individual cantons. Officials worry that a nationwide ban would “undermine the sovereignty of the cantons,” several of which have already banned such coverings in regional votes. In its statement, the government also noted that a ban on full-face coverings could harm Switzerland’s tourism industry. According to official statistics, only about 5% of the Swiss population is Muslim, and officials claim that the majority of women who wear facial coverings in Switzerland are visitors. For this reason, the Swiss government has deemed the burqa ban “unnecessary.” The government’s statement makes no mention of the potential for Islamophobia or anti-Muslim rhetoric to arise.
Despite the government’s lack of support for the burqa ban, the results of the referendum are directly in the hands of the Swiss people. Switzerland operates under a unique system of direct democracy. All Swiss citizens over the age of 18 have the right to vote in all elections and on all referendums. Citizens can also propose a referendum or an amendment to the constitution by getting 100,000 signatures of voters in support of the proposal within 18 months, a facet of direct democracy called a popular initiative. If the goal of 100,000 signatures is reached, the proposal will go to a nationwide popular vote. The proposal that would ban full-face coverings underwent this process and is now awaiting a vote.
The government cannot prevent a popular initiative from going to a vote, but it can offer a direct counterproposal in the hopes that a majority of the people and cantons will vote for it instead. In place of the burqa ban, the government has proposed a law that would require people wearing a facial covering to reveal their face for identification purposes at administrative offices or on public transport.
Those who refuse to remove their facial coverings would face fines of up to 10,000 Swiss francs ($11,200). If the proposed ban is rejected on March 7, the government’s counterproposal will go into effect.
Rachel Lynch
Rachel is a student at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY currently taking a semester off. She plans to study Writing and Child Development. Rachel loves to travel and is inspired by the places she’s been and everywhere she wants to go. She hopes to educate people on social justice issues and the history and culture of travel destinations through her writing.