Yeah, I've discussed it a couple of places -- mostly on /r/worldevents, probably -- but I'm not convinced. For example, the law provides an exception for some holidays and religious festivals. Presumably, that would allow masks for things like the mid-Lent festivals that are popular there (we thought about attending one while we were there, but couldn't fit it into our schedule). So one question I have yet to find a satisfying answer for is, would Muslim religious festivals get the same exceptions extended to Christian religious festivals? Presumably cops aren't going to arrest brides wearing a bridal veil, but what about Muslims mourning the death of a family member?

Basically, it looks to me like the language that includes all face coverings was included to make the law look more ecumenical, when it was really targeted against a particular cultural group, and that implementation will tend towards using it as a cultural gag order, rather than a safety precaution. And, really, if it were entirely about safety, why did it only come up now, during a flowering of Islamiphobia, rather than 10, 25, 50, 100 years ago? Using a mask to hide your identity during dangerous or criminal activity is nothing new, so why now?

Frankly, I have yet to see any carte blanch ban on burkas that was written to be wholly consistent with the principles of liberal society that such laws are purportedly meant to protect.