Around 650 protest in Bregenz against school headscarf ban

About 650 people protested in Bregenz on Friday against Austria’s school headscarf ban, according to police estimates reported by ORF. The demonstration, called by a coalition of organisations, was peaceful and passed without incident, police said.

The march went from the Festspielhaus to Kornmarktplatz. Most of the participants were women and girls, though many men also joined.

Since September 1, girls under 14 have been prohibited from wearing headscarves at Austrian schools. Their parents can face fines of up to 800 euros.

Organisers said the headscarf should neither be imposed nor banned. They argued the law treats religions unequally because it explicitly prohibits the Islamic headscarf but not other religious head coverings, and said it violates religious freedom. They called for the ban to be repealed.

The “No to the Headscarf Ban” coalition includes the groups Schule brennt, Schulstreik Vorarlberg, Selbstbestimmtes Österreich and the Revolutionary Communist Party Vorarlberg, with support from the Palestine Solidarity Austria platform.