Lisbon bus driver ejects woman for refusing to remove surgical mask
A woman in Lisbon was ordered off a Carris bus after refusing to remove her surgical mask. Mim Akter, a resident of Portugal for six years, filed a complaint with the transport company and the police. The incident has raised concerns about discrimination in public services. The dispute began when a Carris driver told Akter she could not board the bus while wearing a mask. Despite explaining that she wore it for personal reasons, the driver insisted she remove it entirely. Feeling humiliated, she left the bus and later sought help from the association Renovar a Mouraria to report the incident.
The coordinator of Akter’s daughter’s school also alerted Carris about the situation. Meanwhile, a Left Bloc councillor questioned Lisbon’s mayor, Carlos Moedas, about the company’s handling of the case. When Akter took her complaint to the police, an officer reportedly questioned her account and incorrectly assumed she had been wearing a burqa.
Akter, who has worn a surgical mask since the pandemic, no longer uses a niqab. The case follows broader reports of discrimination in Portugal, where over 1.2 million people say they have faced bias based on ethnicity, origin, or skin colour. The incident has led to formal complaints against both Carris and the police. Akter’s experience highlights ongoing challenges for minority groups in accessing public transport. Authorities have yet to issue a public response to the allegations.
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