Angela Merkel has called for a burqa ban in Germany and said the refugee crisis “must never be repeated” while making her pitch for a fourth term as Chancellor. Addressing her conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, Ms Merkel said she would support a nationwide prohibition on Islamic veils covering the face. "The full-face veil is not acceptable in our country," she told delegates in Essen, sparking rapturous applause. "It should be banned, wherever it is legally possible."
Thomas de Maizière, the German interior minister and one of Ms Merkel’s closest allies in the CDU, proposed a partial burqa ban in August and called the veils "contrary to integration". He said the law would apply in “places where it is necessary for our society's coexistence” including government offices, schools and universities and courtrooms, as well as demonstrations. [The Independent] Read more
