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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/11/austria-votes-ban-headscarves-schools-girls-under-14>
"Lawmakers in Austria have voted overwhelmingly to ban headscarves in schools
for girls under the age of 14, despite concerns the legislation will deepen
societal divisions and marginalise Muslims. The law could also be struck down
by the country’s constitutional court.
The ban was proposed earlier this year by Austria’s conservative-led
government, which took office in March after a far-right party came first in
the elections but failed to form a government.
Before Thursday’s vote, Yannick Shetty, the parliamentary leader of the liberal
Neos, the most junior party in the ruling coalition, defended the ban. He told
the lower house: “This is not about restricting freedom, but about protecting
the freedom of girls up to 14.
“It [the headscarf] is not just an item of clothing. It serves, particularly
with minors, to shield girls from the male gaze. It sexualises girls,” he said.
The ban is expected to take effect at the start of the new school year in
September, with families facing fines of up to €800 (£700) for repeated
non-compliance. A soft launch of the legislation will begin in February as the
new rules are explained to educators, parents and children.
Thursday’s legislation marks the second time that a government led by the
centre-right People’s party (ÖVP) has set its sights on the headscarf. In 2019,
as part of a coalition that included the far right, Austria introduced a ban on
headscarves for girls under 10 years of age. The legislation was later
overturned by the country’s constitutional court, which described it as
discriminatory in that it specifically targeted Muslims.
This time around, the government said it had worked to avoid the same outcome.
Shetty recently told reporters: “Will it pass muster with the constitutional
court? I don’t know. We have done our best.”
Despite the uncertainty, lawmakers backed the ban by a large majority. The only
party to oppose it was the opposition Green party, which argued that the law
was unconstitutional.
In the lead-up to the vote, the bill was criticised by rights organisations,
including Amnesty International, which said it would “not empower girls – on
the contrary, it will add to the current racist climate towards Muslims”."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
