The Local Spain https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Spain in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Bus driver blocks entry for woman in burqa The driver of a public bus in Vitoria on Thursday refused to allow a woman on board because she was wearing a Muslim veil which covered her face, the latest flare up in the Basque city over tolerance of Islamic customs. https://www.thelocal.es/20141107/bus-driver-mounts-personal-burqa-ban-vitoria-spain Fri, 07 Nov 2014 15:27:00 +0100 bus-driver-mounts-personal-burqa-ban-vitoria-spain Spain opens door to ban on burqas Spain's interior minister Jorge Fernández Díaz on Wednesday said the Spanish government would consider including a ban on burqas as part of a packet of planned new security reforms. https://www.thelocal.es/20140904/spain-opens-door-to-burqa-ban-catalonia-women-rights Thu, 04 Sep 2014 11:29:00 +0200 spain-opens-door-to-burqa-ban-catalonia-women-rights Catalan town defies courts with burqa ban The town of Reus in Spain's Catalonia region on Friday passed legislation banning the wearing of full face veils in public places, the first decision of its kind in Spain. https://www.thelocal.es/20140721/catalan-town-passes-burqa-ban Mon, 21 Jul 2014 11:10:00 +0200 catalan-town-passes-burqa-ban Catalonia to push ahead with burqa ban plans The government of Spain's Catalonia region said on Thursday it would push ahead with a planned burqa ban after the EU ruled recently that banning full face veils in public did not violate the human rights of Muslim women. https://www.thelocal.es/20140710/catalonia-to-push-ahead-with-planned-burqa-ban Thu, 10 Jul 2014 16:06:00 +0200 catalonia-to-push-ahead-with-planned-burqa-ban Nazi gets Spain's first Islamophobia jail term A web administrator who was handed Spain's first prison sentence for running a homepage inciting race hatred against Muslims could escape jail if he attends a human rights course. https://www.thelocal.es/20140305/a-judge-gives-first-conviction-for-islamophobia-in-catalunya Wed, 05 Mar 2014 15:50:00 +0100 a-judge-gives-first-conviction-for-islamophobia-in-catalunya Catalan census links burqas with terror threat Catalan cops are keeping a close eye on Muslim women wearing full-body veils to determine whether they are linked to any radical Islamist groups in the region. https://www.thelocal.es/20130827/catalan-census-links-burqas-with-terror-threat Tue, 27 Aug 2013 14:45:00 +0200 catalan-census-links-burqas-with-terror-threat Catalonia lifts veil on 'burqa ban' plans The Catalan Government has announced plans to control the wearing of burqas and other face-covering attire in public spaces "for reasons of public safety". https://www.thelocal.es/20130704/catalan-plan-for-burka-ban-unveiled Thu, 04 Jul 2013 18:35:00 +0200 catalan-plan-for-burka-ban-unveiled Judges okay brothels after mosque veto A judge in the Catalonian town of Lleida (Lérida) has ordered the city's town hall to hand over a licence to a brothel just two streets away from where Catalonia's supreme court banned the building of a mosque a year ago. https://www.thelocal.es/20130307/judges-okay-brothels-after-mosque-veto Thu, 07 Mar 2013 12:15:00 +0100 judges-okay-brothels-after-mosque-veto 'Equality matters more than religious freedom' Spain's Supreme Court recently overturned a ban on burqas in the Catalonian town of Lleida (Lérida), saying the prohibition contravened European human rights treaties. In Opinion this week, we listen to two key players. https://www.thelocal.es/20130306/gender-equality-matters-more-than-religious-freedom Wed, 06 Mar 2013 20:31:00 +0100 gender-equality-matters-more-than-religious-freedom