Excerpt:
A woman visiting a post office in the northwest city of Novara could receive a 500-euro-fine for wearing a burqa after she was stopped by police under new local rules. The foreign-born woman was swiftly identified by police but she is still eligible for a penalty under a city ordinance that took effect in January. The new regulation prohibits any clothing that prevents the immediate identification of the wearer inside public buildings, schools and hospitals. The city police said the woman was stopped during a series of spot checks.
"The ordinance is being applied in the instant case because the woman was inside the post office at the time, which is a public building," said police chief Paolo Cortese.
The maximum fine for violating the ordinance is 500 euros but Cortese said his office was still assessing the circumstances of the incident and an appropriate penalty.