Austria’s ruling coalition announced Tuesday that it will move forward with legislation to prohibit headscarves in schools for girls under 14, despite opposition from rights groups and concerns the measure could be struck down by the Constitutional Court.
The conservative-led government took office in March after the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) came first in last year's parliamentary election with around 29% of the vote, but could not find a coalition partner to govern with.
The coalition of three centrist parties has made fighting illegal immigration a central pillar of its program, a move that critics say fuels anti-Muslim sentiment.
The lower house is due this week to discuss the legislation that would introduce the ban.
"It is not a measure against a religion. It is a measure to protect the freedom of girls in this country," Yannick Shetty, the parliamentary leader of the liberal Neos party, told a joint press conference with his counterparts from the two other government parties.
