The northern city of Cossato on Friday became the third local authority in Italy to impose fines on women who cover their faces in public. The head-to-toe Islamic burqa and the niqab, which leaves the eyes visible are not specifically named in the by-law but are understood to be its target.
The fines will range from 25 to 100 euros. Elsewhere in northern Italy, Varallo and Novara city councils have already imposed fines on burqa and niqab wearers.
“There’s no security emergency in Cossato. But I want to stress that people coming to our country have obligations as well as rights,” said mayor Claudio Corradino, who belongings to Italy’s anti-immigrant Northern League party.