Face Off! Sweden Considers 'Toothless' Mask Ban Which Wouldn't Apply to Burkas

The Swedish government has proposed a general ban on wearing masks to sporting events. The ban was welcomed by police, but dismissed as "toothless" by supporters. Additionally, it sparked a controversy by purposefully excluding burkas and other face-covering religious garments.

Previously, the Swedish government's so-called "hooligan investigator" suggested criminalizing disguises at sporting events, claiming that masks disturb the public order.

If backed up by legislators, the ban will apply from March 1, 2017.

Violators of the ban will be fined or imprisoned for up to six months. Exceptions to the ban only apply to those who cover their faces for religious reasons, health reasons or due to severe weather conditions.

"I hope that fewer masked people would give us fewer disturbances. But naturally, this will not prevent all problems associated with football disturbances, it would be naive to believe this," Swedish Interior Minister Anders Ygeman said, as quoted by the Swedish Football Channel.

According to the Swedish Sports Confederation (RF), which wholeheartedly supported the ban, the exclusions should not present any significant difficulties.

"I find it hard to imagine fans muffle themselves up when AIK and Djurgården [Swedish football teams] meet in a derby in June. I also find it hard to see the Black Army [an AIK supporter group] dress up in religious garments, to say nothing of stands being suddenly filled with burka-clad women," Björn Eriksson, RF President and former national coordinator on sports-related violence, told the Swedish daily Svenska Dagbladet.

Swedish police, too, welcomed the proposal as a 'useful tool' against hooliganism. However, the same enthusiasm was not found at the Swedish Football Supporters Union (SFSU). SFSU President Sofia Bohlin called the ban downright "toothless," since the police will not come up to the stands during matches, let alone tear masks from offenders.

Mike Sahlénius, a security chief at IFK Göteborg, and Göran Rickmer, events manager at Hammarby IF, welcomed the ban, yet expressed skepticism, since a previously-introduced local mask ban in the city of Gothenburg failed to prevent supporters from wearing masks.

"The main problem is not that laws do not exist, but rather that there are no resources to enforce them. There is a legal ban on, for example, throwing objects on the pitch, but, you know how it works," Göran Rickmer coldly explained to Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter.

In Sweden, it has been forbidden to wear disguises during demonstrations for ten years. People continue to wear masks, yet it is extremely rare that anyone gets convicted of the crime. According to Sweden's Crime Prevention Council (Brå), only 15 people have been convicted for wearing masks during the past decade, Swedish national broadcaster SVT reported earlier this year.