A 28-year-old woman in Denmark has become the first person in the country to be charged for wearing a niqab.
ADVERTISEMENTA 28-year-old woman wearing a full veil has become the first person in Denmark to be fined under a new ban which came into force on Wednesday.
The woman came to police attention when a scuffle broke out between her and another woman at a shopping centre in the north-eastern region of Nordsjaelland.
She was told she would have to pay 1,000 kroner (134 Euros) after she refused to remove the veil.
Reasons for scuffle unclear
An initial report into the incident on Friday suggested that one woman was trying to remove the other's veil, but police said this was not clear.
Police obtained CCTV footage of the incident.
"During the fight, her niqab came off, but by the time we arrived she had put it back on again," police spokesperson David Borchersen told the Danish Ritzau news agency.
Police said both women were charged with violating the peace and said one had also been charged with violating the full-face veil law.
Niqab fines
As of Wednesday, wearing a full-face veil, or a niqab, which only shows the eyes, carries an 1,000 Kroner charge.
Repeat offenders could also be charged 10,000 kroner (1,340 Euros).
Protests in Denmark broke out over the new law, which also bans balaclavas, masks, and false beards.
Similar full or partial bans against wearing a veil are also in place in France, Austria, Bulgaria and the German state of Bavaria.