Ukip's pledge to ban the burka is vital for security and integration, Paul Nuttall says
PAUL NUTTALL has defended a controversial Ukip manifesto pledge to ban the full-face veil worn by some Muslim women.
Nuttall: UKIP pledge to ban burka is ‘not an attack on Muslims’
The party’s leader argued the policy would help integration and bolster security, insisting it was not an attack on the religion itself.
Mr Nuttall said the General Election promise would see those wearing the burka and niqab in public places facing a fine.
He told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show on Sunday the Eurosceptic party wanted Britain to follow other European countries, including France, where full-face veils are already prohibited.
Paul Nuttall said Ukip's pledge to ban the burka in public would help integration
I don’t believe you can integrate fully if you can’t see people’s faces
He said: “Obviously we have a heightened security risk at the moment and for CCTV to be effective you need to be able to see people’s faces.
“Secondly, there’s the issue of integration, I don’t believe you can integrate fully and enjoy the fruits of British society if you can’t see people’s faces.”
Quizzed by Marr on how such ban would be implemented in Britain, the Ukip leader continued: “What happens in France, for example, is there is a fine.
The Ukip leader appeared on Andrew Marr's Show on Sunday
“What we’ll do is, we’ll come in line with other European countries such as Belgium, Bulgaria, the city of Barcelona and some places in Italy.”
Similar proposals were put forward by former leader Nigel Farage back in 2010.
In the party's latest manifesto, set to be officially released on Monday, Ukip will also propose outlawing Sharia law.
Mr Nuttall says he wants to end the religious rules that form part of Islamic tradition in Britain.
Mr Nuttall said he'd also like to outlaw Sharia law in Britain
Clacton voters shun Arron Banks for not knowing the area
He said: “This is not an attack on Muslims, this is about integration.
“It cannot be right that we have courts or councils in this country where the word of a woman is only worth half that of a man.
“That has no place in a liberal, democratic functioning democracy.”
Last summer a YouGov survey found 57 per cent of the British public were in favour of banning the burka in public.
The poll found 25 per cent were against such proposals, with opposition coming mainly from 18-24-year-olds.