Macron says enforcement of abaya ban in French schools will be ‘inflexible’

French authorities will be “inflexible” in enforcing a new ban on abayas in schools, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday. The government decided to ban the garment, similar to a cloak, from the next school year.

The ban, announced by France’s Ministry of Education, is the latest in a series of restrictions in the country on clothing associated with Muslims. The measure was criticized by opposition lawmakers, who described it as an Islamophobic campaign.

VIDEO – France will ban the use of abaya in public schools, says Minister of Education

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Speaking to journalists after visiting a school in southern France, Macron reinforced the decision. He reiterated that “religious symbols of any kind have no place” in French schools under the country’s “secularity” principle.

“Schools in our country are secular, free and compulsory. But they are secular. Because this is the condition that makes citizenship possible and therefore religious symbols of any kind have no place in them. And we will vigorously defend this secularism,” Macron commented.

French school teachers and directors “will not be left alone” when it comes to enforcing the ban, Macron said, adding that French authorities will be “inflexible in this matter”.

“And in the most sensitive high schools or colleges, staff will be sent to support principals and teachers to establish a necessary dialogue with families and students. But we won’t let anything go,” she said. he added.

France has pursued a series of controversial bans and restrictions on Islamic clothing in recent years, which have often drawn the ire of Muslim countries. Last year, lawmakers backed a ban on wearing the hijab and other “religious symbols” in sporting competitions.

In 2018, the United Nations Human Rights Committee said France’s ban on the niqab – full-face veils worn by some Muslim women – violated human rights.

Source: CNN Brasil

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