Bavaria will ban the full-face veil in schools, universities, government workplaces and polling stations, the southern German state said on Tuesday. The move comes seven months before a federal election where immigration will be a prominent issue and the Bavarian conservatives that govern the region, the sister party to Chancellor Angela Merkel's, are worried about losing votes to the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD). 'Communication happens not only via language but also via looks, facial expressions and gestures,' Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said after the regional government agreed a draft law to ban the full-face veil for civil servants and in public places where there are concerns for public safety.
(photo credit: JPOST STAFF)