Now burqa ban gets support in Spain

Barcelona has become the first big Spanish city to bar the use of Islamic face veils in municipal buildings.

Mayor Jordi Hereu insisted the ban was not specifically religious as he announced it today, saying it applied to all dress that impedes identification, such as motorcycle helmets and ski masks.

Lleida, about 100 miles from Barcelona, last month became the first Spanish city to regulate use of body-covering burqas or face-covering niqab garments.

Authorities in several European countries have been debating rules around the wearing of burqas in recent months.

Barcelona town hall said the measure was largely symbolic given that it is unusual to see women wearing burqas or niqabs in the city, which has a population of 1.5 million.