French school bars veiled Muslim mothers

Two Muslim mothers wearing headscarves were accosted and prevented from entering a nursery school on the French island of Corsica on Monday by two other parents, officials said.

Two Muslim mothers wearing headscarves were accosted and prevented from entering a nursery school on the French island of Corsica on Monday by two other parents, officials said.

The incident happened as parents were dropping off their children at the start of the school day in Bonifacio, on the island’s southern tip.

Police and a schools inspector were also sent to the scene “and the situation calmed down. There was no violence, no threats, and therefore no laws broken,” said local prosecutor Eric Bouillard.

The incident is the latest example of intercommunal tensions in France.

In December, protesters vandalized a Muslim prayer hall and trashed copies of the Koran after an assault on firefighters that was blamed on youths of Arab origin.