On Sunday 7 March 2021, the Swiss voted to ban face coverings in public spaces. The vote approved a public initiative, spearheaded by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP), to insert a clause into the Swiss constitution outlawing various forms of face coverings in public settings. It may seem like a general aim, but in reality – by prohibiting the burqa and niqab in public places – it was a targeted attack against a specific community.
With a slim majority of 51.2% in favour of the ban, Switzerland now joins Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France and the Netherlands, in passing laws that target religious attire in western Europe.
The result was surprising because the Swiss usually reject people’s initiatives. A cornerstone of direct democracy, people’s initiatives at the federal level in Switzerland can be launched by collecting 100,000 signatures. In the past 130 years, the Swiss have voted on 219 initiatives, but approved only 23.
