Legal News

Lifting the veil on liberty?

Published on: 08 July 2014

Table of contents

  • Original news
  • What is the significance of this ruling from the ECtHR?
  • What is the extent of the prohibition in France?
  • What were the principles upon which the ECtHR upheld the ban?
  • What does this tell us about the extent to which the state can interfere with the freedoms of its citizens?
  • Are other states likely to follow Belgium and France in light of this ruling?
  • Could a similar ban be challenged in the British courts?

Article summary

Public law: As the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) justifies France’s ban on full face veils in the interests of minorities and others ‘living together’, Ramby de Mello, a barrister at No 5 Chambers, warns that the danger of this approach could mean that the cultural practices of minorities may have to give way to the views of the majority.

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