Burqa bus ban

A BUS driver refused to allow a woman on board because she was wearing a muslim veil that covered her face.

In what is just the latest controversy over Islamic dress that has hit the Basque city of Vitoria the driver not only refused to let the woman aboard his bus but has now organised a petition amongst passengers and colleagues to try and gain support for his actions.

Bus company Tuvisa has now opened an investigation into the incident. Previously controversy has been caused by conservative Partido Popular (PP) city mayor Javier Maroto banning swimmers in public pools from wearing Muslim dress.

He is also seen as the man behind a Basque country campaign to change rules on eligibility for minimum income benefits. The PP proposal would see people having to have been registered as living in the region for 10 years before being eligible for the benefits, a move some see as anti-immigrant.

Spain’s Interior Ministry has said it is looking at a ban on burqas as part of a package of ‘security’ reforms and Catalonia is also looking at laws to control the wearing of burqas and face covering veils in public, for ‘reasons of public safety’.