Women face French court for wearing Muslim niqab

Two women appeared in a French court Thuresday for wearing Muslim face coverings on a demonstration in the town of Meaux, east of Paris.

Reuters

The two women were summned under France's new law forbidding the wearing of face covering in public places, which came into effect in April.

Although not specifically stated in the law, critics say it targets Muslim women who wear the niqab or burka face coverings for religious reasons.

The public prosecutor said they would seek 150-euro fines and so-called "citizenship training" for each of the women.

But the women's lawyer said the law is inapplicable and pleaded for the fine to be dropped.

The court will announce its decision in September.

Neither of the two women fined were present for the hearing.

One of them, a 31 year old single mother living in a Paris suburb, went to court but was not allowed to enter because she refused a police officer's request to remove her niqab.

Forty people, half of them women wearing cover, demonstrated outside the court.

Police summoned the women.