Geert Wilders, leader of the anti-immigration party PVV, will today introduce his own bill to outlaw the face-covering burka in the Netherlands, the AD reports. The paper says that if the proposal becomes law, women wearing a burqa or niqab in public would face a 12-day jail term or €3,350 fine.

Full-face motorbike helmets and balaclava hats would not fall under the ban.
Wilders told the paper the burqa should be banned because it is a ‘symbol of female oppression’.
It also reduces the chances of women finding work and contributes to a feeling of insecurity on the streets, he said. ‘We have to stand up for our western norms and values,’ Wilders told the paper.
A similar motion from Wilders two years ago won a parliamentary majority but the cabinet was divided on the issue. Other attempts to ban the burqa ran out of time because of the general election.
Wilders told the AD he has the support of a majority of MPs again this time round, but the paper says it is unclear if the ruling Christian Democrats will support him.