WEARING face coverings in public has been labelled as “not the British way” by Reform UK’s leader Nigel Farage.
His comments follow Nottingham’s decision to become the first city in the country to enforce a ban on face coverings, which is due to begin next week.
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Following a consultation on the issue where more than 2,200 people took part, over 90 per cent supported the ban which will come into effect on September 15.
Mr Farage has backed a ban on face coverings, describing them as “a menace”, and expressed his support in The Telegraph yesterday.
He wrote: “This is not a matter of targeting one group. It’s about saying that in a civilised society, people should be identifiable in public.
“If you want to walk on British streets, participate in British public life, and enjoy the protections of British law, you must be prepared to show your face.
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“Facial coverings, quite frankly, are not the British way. Let’s ban them in public once and for all.”
Under the new rules in Nottingham, cops are able to ask people to remove coverings if they “reasonably believe” they are being used to conceal a person’s identity to commit crime or antisocial behaviour.
Offenders who refuse to comply can be fined £70 on the spot or face prosecution – with a maximum penalty of £1,000.
The ban does not include face coverings worn for health, cultural, religions, work or weather-related reasons.
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Neghat Khan, Leader of Nottingham City Council, said: “Our residents should be able to live, work and spend time in Nottingham without feeling frightened or unsafe.
“That is why we are taking decisive action and becoming one of the first cities in the country to introduce a restriction of this kind.
“This is not about telling people what they can wear or targeting those who have a genuine reason for covering their face.
“It is about giving authorised officers the power to act where a face covering is being used to help conceal a person’s identity in connection with crime or anti-social behaviour, or where it is worn in a manner that intimidates, harasses, alarms or distresses others.”
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The move comes after Nottingham saw a rise in crime, particularly with balaclava-clad youths terrorising the public in the city centre.
During November last year, young yobs were caught on CCTV at a Winter Wonderland brandishing machetes as they darted around Old Market Square on e-bikes, before apparently confronting another gang.
Hooded youths have caused issues around the country, often riding modified e-bikes and causing alarm in their local communities.
Recently, Swerve – a sick viral game – turned the seaside town of South Shields, South Tyneside into a living nightmare when teens took over the area.
Wearing masks and riding bikes, they intimidated pedestrians by darting towards shoppers and rotating their rear wheels to fling grass on people.
In Leigh, Greater Manchester, a man was followed by masked e-bikers and then hacked with a machete as they stole his bike.
Meanwhile, in Salford, a balaclava-clad thug wielding a firearm tried to escape cops on his e-bike, but was eventually caught and tasered.
The new ban comes after Farage called the masked “stop the boats” protesters at Dover “disgusting”.
In a confrontation with Zia Yusuf, Danny Tommo – a Tommy Robinson associate who is an attempted kidnapper – claimed credit for the protests and warned that Nigel Farage needs to be “careful” with his words.
He barged into frame as Sky News interviewed Reform UK‘s spokesperson for home affairs.
Tommo – real name Danny Thomas – said: “We have working-class men who are bricklayers, roofers, carpenters.
“They build the houses you live in, the roads you drive on. They build all that stuff. They hide their faces because they know they’re going to be targeted.
Tommo went on: “You have to understand that what I’m trying to do…we’re not trying to intimidate anyone.”
Some people have spoken in favour of the masks, including Jacquetta Morris, a 38-year-old pub manager.
She boarded a train from Dover on Saturday, only to find it was filled with “polite” masked men who had protested at the port of Dover.
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Jacquetta told The Times: “I did say to them straight away that I understood their cause but asked them to take off their balaclavas, though they all refused.
“One said part of the reason they were wearing them was to point out that women in burqas can cover their faces in banks and places like that, but British men are seen as intimidating if they do the same. But they were very pleasant, and it was actually quite fun.”