Sa Pobla wants to ban access to municipal spaces while wearing a burka

PalmThe Sa Pobla Town Council has approved a Vox initiative (with the support of the PP and the Independents mayor, but with three councilors from their own group abstaining) to prohibit the wearing of a burka in municipal buildings. The proposal was opposed by the PSOE, MÁS, and El Pi parties and reinforces a regulation that has been in place since 2011, which Vox considers ambiguous, unclear, and ineffective. Vox councilor Roberto Vicente stated that it is shameful that councilors from the same party as the mayor "hide behind abstention," while their own mayor votes in favor of "a basic security measure." "The PSOE, MÁS, and El Pi have once again positioned themselves on the side of political correctness and cultural compromise, demonstrating that they prioritize their ideology over the safety and general interest of the residents of Sa Pobla," the councilor added. Vox reiterated its claim to authorship of the proposal, "even though the PP is now trying to appropriate it" by presenting it in other municipalities. The same motion will soon be presented in other municipalities such as Manacor and Felanitx. It should be noted that the PP will register the proposal to the Consell de Mallorca (Island Council of Mallorca) to request a ban on the burka and niqab in public spaces, which was approved this past Tuesday in the Balearic Parliament.

The goal, PP sources emphasized in a press release, is to bring the initiative to the municipal level and demand that the national government prohibit a practice that "violates the freedom, dignity, and equality of women." With this initiative, the PP intends for the island council and the municipal councils to take a "firm" stance in defense of human rights and support the ban on the full-face Islamic veil in buildings and public spaces.

The initiative stems from the conviction that certain practices and symbols "are incompatible with democratic values." The president of the People's Party (PP) of Menorca, Coia Sugrañes, and the president of the PP of Mallorca, Llorenç Galmés, explained that the motion expressly states that "municipalities should declare that the full-face Islamic veil constitutes a form of oppression and subjugation that violates fundamental rights, equality, and the dignity of women."