Lleida City Council, known locally as the Paeria, has initially approved a revision to its Municipal Ordinance on Civility and Coexistence that bans clothing which completely conceals the face in public spaces, including the burqa and niqab.
For Lleida residents who wear full-face coverings, Article 12 would classify doing so as a minor offence carrying a fine of €400 to €750 once the revised ordinance takes effect. The wider ordinance sets penalties of €400 to €3,000 for uncivil conduct and provides for repeat offending to be penalised.
The measure was passed at Friday's plenary meeting with votes from the governing PSC, the Socialist Party of Catalonia, and the Junts and Vox municipal groups. It replaces Lleida's 2007 civic ordinance.
The PSC governing group said the rule “does not merely limit conduct, but protects freedoms”.
How the council groups voted
- In favour: PSC, Junts and Vox.
- Against: PP, which argued that the text regulates rather than bans the garments.
- Against: ERC, the Catalan Republican Left, and the local Comúdelleida group, which criticised the ordinance as punitive.
Previous ban was annulled by the Supreme Court
Lleida previously attempted a similar restriction in 2010. ARA reports that the Supreme Court annulled that municipal measure, finding that limits on a fundamental right such as freedom of religion must be established through an organic law passed by Spain's Congress of Deputies, rather than by a local authority.
Junts had said on Wednesday that it would support the revision, securing its approval, and tied its vote to a motion to install public toilets and showers.
Residents seeking the published municipal rules and notices can consult the Paeria's official regulatory notices page.
Primary sources: govern.cat, eleccions.gencat.cat. Reported by ara.cat, El Periódico, en.ara.cat, lavanguardia.com, 20minutos.es, segre.com, VilaWeb, CatalunyaPress.cat, laciutat.cat, barcelonapress.com, catalunyapress.es, Diari ARA, elpuntavui.cat, seu.paeria.cat, Nació Digital, Racó Català.
