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The Netherlands has just joined these countries with bans on wearing the veil in public

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Picture:
Louis Doré

A ban on the wearing of veils, face masks and helmets in public places, has arrived in another European country.

On Tuesday the lower house of the Dutch parliament voted to ban women from wearing the veil in public.

The bill originally proposed by Interior Minister Ronald Plasterk, seeks to extend the ban to public transport, schools, hospitals, and government buildings.

Despite the Labour Party-Freedom Party coalition government's razor thin hold on power in the lower chamber (they hold 75 of the 150 seats), the bill passed with 132 votes.

A vote on the ban will now take place in the Senate, in which the government has a plurality but is far short of a majority in the 75 member chamber.

Breach of the ban will be disciplined with a €410 (£350 GBP) fine.

The Associated Press quoted Labour's Plasterk as announcing an intention to achieve a full ban in 2017.

As the Netherlands extends its ban into more areas of public life, here's a map of all the locations with full or partial bans.

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France has had a total ban on wearing a veil in public since 2011, and the law was upheld in the European Court in 2014.

In 2016 attempts to ban 'burkinis' were successfully challenged in the courts in all but one Corsican town.

Bans have also been proposed by senior politicians in Germany.

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