Austria bans girls under 14 from wearing headscarves at school

Austria bans girls under 14 from wearing headscarves at school

The Austrian parliament passed a law on December 11 that will ban girls under the age of 14 from wearing the hijab or other religious headscarf in schools from the 2026/2027 school year. Integration Minister Claudia Plakolm called the decision a “historic step towards protecting girls.” According to the law, the ban applies to headscarves and burqas, which are Islamic head coverings.
Under the new rules, school authorities will interview students and their parents who wear the headscarf, and repeated violations can result in fines of up to 800 euros.
The law was supported by the ruling coalition — the Austrian People’s Party, the Social Democrats and the NEOS. The far-right Freedom Party also supported the initiative. The Greens voted against it, citing constitutional concerns. A similar ban was introduced in 2019, but the Constitutional Court overturned it.