France & Intolerance

1)  French Senate voted to ban Islamic full veil in public

France's Senate has overwhelmingly approved a bill that would ban wearing the Islamic full veil in public. The ban will come into force in six months' time if it is not overturned by constitutional judges. The ban has strong public support, but critics point out that only a tiny minority of French Muslims wear the full veil.

Spain and Belgium are debating similar legislation, and with such large-scale immigration in the past 20 or 30 years, identity has become a popular theme across Europe, according to correspondents. On Tuesday, the Senate voted 246 to 1 in favour of the bill. 

The bill makes it illegal to wear garments such as the niqab or burka, which incorporate a full-face veil, anywhere in public. It envisages fines of 150 euros (£119) for women who break the law and 30,000 euros and a one-year jail term for men who force their wives to wear the burka. The niqab and burka are widely seen in France as threats to women's rights and the secular nature of the state.  (BBC)

 2)  Deportations of Roma people 

EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding has urged the European Commission to take legal action against France over its deportations of Roma (Gypsies).

“The Roma have long been a pariah people. Poorly understood, highly suspect, and the subject of pervasive myths, the Roma of Europe have been persecuted and marginalised for centuries. The latest move on the part of the French authorities to forcibly displace and return over 700 Roma and destroy over 50 camps, is another example of the intolerance of European society, and the unwillingness of national authorities to look at social issues in an evidence-based way. Over the next few weeks and months, other countries in Europe may be tempted to follow the model that France has initiated. If they do, it will constitute one of the largest forced displacements Europe has seen since the Balkan War.” (ICMHD)