Danish PM seeks to extend religious full-face veil ban to educational institutions

Published connected 05/06/2025 - 13:26 GMT+2•Updated 13:33

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has called connected Thursday for stricter measures limiting belief symbols and rituals successful education, asking for a prohibition connected full-coverage veils worn by immoderate Muslim women to beryllium extended to schools and universities.

The country's wide prohibition connected burkas and niqabs successful nationalist places, introduced successful 2018, has not been applied to acquisition institutions.

However, Frederiksen, who is besides nan leader of nan country's Social Democrats party, wants to alteration this, stating that limiting nan prohibition successful this measurement had been a mistake.

"There are gaps successful nan authorities that let Muslim societal power and oppression of women astatine acquisition institutions successful Denmark," Frederiksen told home media. "You person nan correct to beryllium a personification of religion and believe your religion, but populist takes precedence."

Meanwhile, opponents of nan wide ban, including civilian nine organisations specified arsenic Amnesty International, said it infringes connected women's correct to dress arsenic they choose. "All women should beryllium free to dress arsenic they please and to deterioration clothing that expresses their personality aliases beliefs," nan NGO said successful 2018.

The announcement is simply a nonstop consequence to recommendations from nan Commission for nan Forgotten Women's Struggle, which earlier this twelvemonth called for action.

In 2022, nan aforesaid government-formed committee projected to enforce a prohibition connected nan wearing of hijabs successful superior schools to guarantee “that women pinch number backgrounds tin bask nan aforesaid authorities and freedoms arsenic different Danish women”.

At nan time, nan prohibition connection sparked a backlash and protests successful Denmark. The scheme was rejected successful 2023.

Frederiksen besides wants dream rooms to beryllium removed from acquisition institutions, objecting to nan truth that they person been group up astatine respective universities and colleges.

The Danish PM does not judge these rooms create inclusiveness, but alternatively "provide a breeding crushed for favoritism and pressure", she explained.

While Frederiksen is not asking for an outright ban, she said that Minister for Education and Children Mattias Tesfaye and Minister for Higher Education Christina Egelund will participate into a speech pinch schools and universities astir uncovering a communal solution, and "clarify that dream rooms do not beryllium there".

The Danish nine cannot let itself to beryllium ruled by belief conservatism, Frederiksen told nan home press.

"You're invited to person your religion, but erstwhile you're astatine school, you're location to beryllium astatine schoolhouse and return portion successful your education," she concluded.