British Public Backs Boris Johnson’s Burqas Comments
59% of respondent, supported banning wearing the burqas in public places
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According to a new poll, the majority of British people think the former top diplomat, Boris Johnson, should not apologize for his recent comments calling women wearing burqas "letterboxes" and don't consider him racist.
More than half, 59% of respondent, supported banning wearing the burqas in public places, and another 48% said that Boris Johnson should not ask pardon for his comments.
Johnson ignited a huge backlash from politicians and activists following the issue of his weekly column, which labeled the Muslim head veils 'oppressive.'
Johnson wrote burqas were "absolutely ridiculous that people should choose to go around looking like letterboxes."
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According to SputnikNews: The new survey shows that 60% of participants viewed Mr. Johnson's rhetoric as "not racist," while 59% support the burqa ban in public places.
Former UK Independence Party (UKIP) leader, Nigel Farage, responded to the results of the survey:
Mr. Farage referred to the fierce backlash from the Conservative Party chairman, Brandon Lewis, who requested Mr. Johnson apologizes for his words.
Mr. Farage has been critical of the burqa-wearing in Britain for years. In 2010, he said in an interview that burqa was "a symbol of something that is used to oppress women" and an "a symbol of an increasingly divided Britain."
In response to the Westminster spat, the UK Prime Minister Theresa May said that women should be free to wear the burqa if they chose to do so.
Do you think Boris Johnson should or should not apologise for saying women in burkas look like letter boxes and bank robbers?
— Sky Data (@SkyData) August 8, 2018
Should 45%
Should not 48%
Don't know 7%
Westminster gets it wrong again. https://t.co/Ahc0mFSSpz
— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) August 8, 2018
"I think Boris Johnson used language in describing people's appearance that has obviously caused offense. It was the wrong language to use. He should not have used it," the PM said.
Mr. Johnson reportedly said he won't be delivering an apology for his views.
Wearing of full-face veils by women in public has long been a continuous issue in Europe. In 2011, France became the first European nation to bring in a total public ban on full-face veils. Belgium soon followed Paris and also introduced a ban in 2011.
In 2015, the Netherlands approved a partial ban on the full veil. Most recently, Switzerland enforced a ban on the full-face veil in July 2016, while Denmark joined the list in May 2018.
In 2016, by a margin of more than two to one, the British public agreed people should be banned from wearing burqas in the UK.
