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Farage calls for total burka ban UKIP's Farage calls for burka ban
(10 minutes later)
The UK Independence Party (UKIP) has called for the burka - the full Muslim veil which covers the body from head to toe - to be banned. The UK Independence Party (UKIP) has called for the burka and other face covering veils worn by Muslim women to be banned.
Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage told The Times it was not compatible with the British way of life. Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage told the BBC the veils were a symbol of an "increasingly divided Britain".
He also said it marginalised women and was a potential security threat.He also said it marginalised women and was a potential security threat.
Some European countries, including France, are debating banning the burka but the issue has sparked controversy when it has been raised in the UK.Some European countries, including France, are debating banning the burka but the issue has sparked controversy when it has been raised in the UK.
UKIP is the first British party to call for a total ban, after the BNP called for it to be banned in Britain's schools.UKIP is the first British party to call for a total ban, after the BNP called for it to be banned in Britain's schools.
Mr Farage, who leads UKIP's 13 MEPs in Brussels, told The Times he planned to broaden the message of the party, which wants Britain to leave the EU, ahead of the general election. Mr Farage, who leads UKIP's 13 MEPs in Brussels, told The Politics Show "another culture is being forced on parts of Britain and nobody wants that".
"I am going to be talking about Britishness, about the national identity and the genuine threat that Sharia law poses.
"Alarm bells should have sounded when the Archbishop of Canterbury said that the adoption of Sharia law in the UK was unavoidable."
Mr Farage quit as UKIP leader to attempt to unseat Commons Speaker John Bercow in Buckingham at the general election.Mr Farage quit as UKIP leader to attempt to unseat Commons Speaker John Bercow in Buckingham at the general election.
His successor, Lord Pearson, has said he wants to step up the party's campaign against radical Islam.His successor, Lord Pearson, has said he wants to step up the party's campaign against radical Islam.
He told the Times the party was taking legal advice on how the burka, or any veil covering a woman's face, could be banned in public places and in private buildings such as airports.He told the Times the party was taking legal advice on how the burka, or any veil covering a woman's face, could be banned in public places and in private buildings such as airports.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said the full burka is "not welcome" in France, but did not explicitly call for a ban, saying "no one should feel stigmatised" by any eventual law.French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said the full burka is "not welcome" in France, but did not explicitly call for a ban, saying "no one should feel stigmatised" by any eventual law.
A French parliamentary report on the issue is due out at the end of January.A French parliamentary report on the issue is due out at the end of January.