Constitutional Court to Decide on Veil Ban in Brussels Higher Education Institute

The court should rule on the need to prohibit or not the wearing of religious symbols within the school, reports La Libre, specifying that the legal procedure was initiated by a collective of 62 teachers and former teachers of the Francisco Ferrer Higher Education Institute who contest a previous judgment, authorizing the wearing of the veil by the students of this establishment.

In its verdict of November 24, 2021, the court of first instance had indeed declared that "the ban on wearing the veil should be provided for by a decree, due to its importance, and not by the simple internal regulations of the school." The court therefore declares "that this prohibition constitutes indirect discrimination and orders its cessation to the City of Brussels."

After examining the appeal, the Brussels court has finally decided to refer the question to the Constitutional Court, to which it addresses three preliminary questions on the admissibility of the third-party opposition introduced by the plaintiffs.