![Spanish Representatives Oppose Morocco’s Joint Bid with Spain and Portugal Spain’ Prime Minister proposed a trio bid with Morocco and Portugal to host the 2030 World Cup; but the idea does not appear to be popular with Spanish politicians. The representatives of two Spanish political parties, the People’s Party and the Citizens-Party, have said they do not want Spain to submit a joint candidacy with Portugal and Morocco for the 2030 World Cup. In a meeting organized by the National Federation of Sports Facilities Entrepreneurs (FNEID) in Madrid, the People’s party representative, Vicente Azpitarte dismissively spoke about Spain joining a trio with Morocco and Portugal to organize the World Cup. Azpitarte specifically wondered whether Spain would get any advantages from teaming up with the two countries, t Spanish news outlet Iusport reported on Wednesday. The Citizens-Party representative, Roberto Nunez, agreed with Azpitarte. “We do not intend to organize a World Cup with other countries. Spain has more than enough capacity [to organize the World Cup], it is a country that has already organized a World Cup, and we do not understand that proposal,” Nunez said. The adviser of United Podemos, Oscar Penas, stated that he does not clearly see why “the priority is to organize a World Cup or an Olympiad at this time.” Morocco and Spain cooperate on a number of issues, ranging from security and migration to trade and education. On November 18, the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, arrived in Morocco for a first visit since his election to premiership. During his visit, Sanchez proposed to both Head of Government Saad Eddine El Othmani and King Mohammed VI a joint bid for the 2030 World Cup. “We are launching a joint message, which is that this will be a bid between two continents. The King of Morocco is receptive and we’re going to work on it with Portugal. We are very excited about it,” Sanchez said.](https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ABL-Launches-in-Casablanca-Becoming-Africa’s-First-Aircraft-Leaser-180x135.jpeg "ABL Launches in Casablanca, Becoming Africa’s First Aircraft Leaser")
Rabat - Denmark has passed a “burqa ban,” a law making it illegal to wear a “garment that hides the face in public.”
Rabat – Denmark has passed a “burqa ban,” a law making it illegal to wear a “garment that hides the face in public.”
The law, which will take effect August 1, was passed yesterday by an overwhelming majority in the Danish Parliament with 75 votes to 30.
The ban imposes a fine of DKK 1,000 (MAD 1,490) on first time offenders, but the fine increases tenfold after the fourth offense. Notably, the ban will include fake beards and ski masks that cover the face, but will not include clothing such as scarves in cold weather or masks worn on holidays like Halloween.
Several European countries have banned women from wearing burqas or niqabs, including France, Belgium, and Austria. More European and African countries have introduced partial bans, including Spain, Italy, Chad, and Cameroon.
In January 2017, Morocco banned the production and sale of burqas, but the kingdom does not prevent individuals from wearing them in public.
While Denmark’s ban was praised by Danish Justice Minister Søren Pape Poulsen, Amnesty International’s Europe director, Gauri van Gulik, criticized the law’s restriction on freedom of expression.
“If the intention of this law was to protect women’s rights, it fails abjectly. Instead, the law criminalises women for their choice of clothing and in so doing flies in the face of those freedoms Denmark purports to uphold.”
