The Socialists’ Party of Catalonia (PSC) has firmly entered the contentious debate over facial coverings. President Salvador Illa of the Generalitat advocates for a ban on the burqa and niqab. He describes the full-face veil as a “degrading fact,” positioning his government in favour of prohibition. However, he makes a crucial distinction: women who wear them must be treated as victims, not penalised.

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The issue gains traction in both the Catalan Parliament and the Spanish Congress, largely propelled by far-right parties. “We are completely against the burqa and the full-face veil. They are not religious or cultural symbols; they are a form of oppression against women,” PSC sources told Catalan newspaper Ara. This party stance marks a significant development, especially after Spain’s lower house recently rejected a motion from the far-right Vox party to outlaw the garments.

A Ban Without Sanctions

The PSC proposes working with communities, drawing on experiences from countries like France, to “eradicate” these veils from both public and private life. However, they draw a firm red line at punishing the women themselves. “We must work on a prohibition,” party sources emphasised, but stressed it cannot be accompanied by sanctions because the women are, above all, “victims.”

This approach sets the Socialists apart from other parties. Vox’s failed proposal included fines for wearers. The pro-independence party Junts, while also open to a ban, suggests introducing “dissuasive” measures, whereas Esquerra Republicana (ERC) has floated the idea of participants undertaking “social work” instead of facing penalties. The debate has also been echoed at a municipal level, with Barcelona’s socialist mayor Jaume Collboni recently backing regulation in the city.

According to the PSC, this position results from extensive internal debate on how to address religious practices that “violate fundamental rights.”

A Déjà Vu Debate

For many in Catalan politics, this is familiar territory. In 2010, Àngel Ros, then-socialist mayor of Lleida, championed a municipal ordinance to ban the full-face veil, citing the “dignity of women” rather than security concerns. Around a dozen other Catalan municipalities emulated his stance, which did not have the party’s unanimous support at the time.

Santa Coloma de Gramenet, then led by current Interior Minister Núria Parlon – a prominent feminist voice within the PSC – was one such town. However, local initiatives ended abruptly in 2013 when Spain’s Supreme Court annulled Lleida’s ordinance. The court ruled that a municipal order could not restrict a fundamental right like religious freedom; it stated that such a prohibition would require a national law passed by parliament.

This legal precedent remains the primary obstacle to any new ban, and towns like Santa Coloma continue to navigate complex issues of community integration and religious expression, such as the recent dispute over an unlicensed oratory in the Can Zam neighbourhood.

An ‘Artificial’ Controversy

Despite the party’s firm new stance, Salvador Illa himself is sceptical about the timing and motives behind the revived controversy. He recently stated, “It is not an issue that I believe is the central concern of the citizens of Catalonia. I think the debate that is being raised has a political intention.”

His party echoes this sentiment. PSC sources have lamented what they call a “false debate,” arguing it is not based in reality. They note that the vast majority of Muslim women in Catalonia do not wear the burqa, nor do most Muslim men demand it. They suggest the far-right has deliberately agitated the issue to stigmatise the Muslim community.

“Parties that are deniers of gender-based violence now say they are defending women’s rights,” one socialist source noted with irony, arguing that Vox’s primary goal was to “point a finger at the Muslim community.” The PSC’s challenge, therefore, is to advocate for a policy it believes in while simultaneously questioning the integrity of the political climate in which the debate is unfolding.