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French LR Leader Laurent Wauquiez Files Bill to Ban Headscarves for Minors in Public

Legal scholars say the proposal is unlikely to withstand constitutional review.

Overview

  • The single-article text would forbid any parent from imposing or allowing a minor daughter to wear in public a garment intended to hide her hair.
  • Wauquiez frames the measure as an addendum to the 2010 law on face concealment and cites a May Interior Ministry report and an Ifop study noting a rise in youth veiling, including 44% of Muslim girls aged 15–24.
  • Constitutional experts including Anne-Charlène Bezzina and Jean-Philippe Derosier argue the rationale of the 2010 public-order identification law does not extend to hair covering and warn of likely conflict with religious freedom.
  • A rapid vote appears unlikely, with the Les Républicains group’s next reserved day set for 22 January 2026 as the earliest likely window for debate.
  • The initiative aligns with a broader LR push, alongside a senatorial report urging bans on veils for accompanying mothers on school trips and restrictions on Ramadan fasting for minors.