Hijab, burka and headscarf ban takes effect in major European country

Austria has enforced a new ban on hijabs, burkas and headscarves for girls aged 14 and under in schools, reigniting debate over religious freedom in the country.

The Daily Express US reports that the ruling ÖVP, part of a three-party coalition alongside the Social Democrats and Neos, described headscarves as “a sign of oppression and a means of controlling girls from the earliest childhood.”

Critics, meanwhile, argue the policy restricts fundamental religious freedoms.

The development comes amid a separate UK petition calling for a public ban on face coverings, including niqabs and burkas, which gathered over 71,000 signatures but was rejected by the government, which maintained that Britain has “a proud tradition of religious tolerance within the law” and no plans to legislate such a ban.