French Women Wear Headscarves in Solidarity as RN Revives Proposed Veil Ban

French Women Wear Headscarves in Solidarity as RN Revives Proposed Veil Ban
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A growing social media campaign in France is seeing women who do not normally wear the Islamic headscarf symbolically cover their hair in solidarity with Muslim women, following the far-right National Rally’s renewed proposal to ban the wearing of the veil in public spaces.

The controversy has intensified ahead of France’s 2027 presidential election after the Rassemblement National (RN) confirmed that it intends to pursue a ban on the Islamic veil in public spaces if it comes to power. The party has said the measure would be submitted to a referendum. RN lawmaker Jean-Philippe Tanguy recently confirmed that women who continued to wear the veil under a future ban would face a financial penalty.

The proposal has triggered criticism from political opponents and prompted a visible response on social media. According to Le Parisien, numerous women have posted videos and photographs of themselves wearing headscarves, despite not normally doing so, as a symbolic gesture of support for Muslim women. Some men have also joined the campaign. Posts include messages such as, “If this law passes, I will immediately wear the veil,” while others describe the gesture as an expression of solidarity and support for women’s freedom.

The campaign comes amid a broader political debate over the proposal within France. While Marine Le Pen has long supported banning the veil in public spaces, Jordan Bardella has previously expressed reservations, particularly over how such a measure could be implemented. The RN nevertheless decided in July to retain the proposal, with a referendum envisaged as the mechanism for seeking public approval.

The French government has also questioned the proposal, with government spokesperson Maud Bregeon warning of “obvious reservations” regarding both its constitutionality and practical application.

The latest social-media campaign has therefore turned the proposed restriction into a wider debate over religious freedom, individual liberty and discrimination, with supporters of Muslim women using the veil itself as a symbol of opposition to the proposed legislation.