France: Increasing incidents against Islamic clothing in schools

French Minister of National Education, Bab Ndiaye, announced on Tuesday that he has launched an investigation to gather information about the high rate of anti-hijab incidence in schools, a phenomenon that has been increasing for weeks and is considered a violation of secular law and the neutrality of public institutions.
“I will discuss this matter with the mayors within two days,” Ndiaye said during a press conference at the conclusion of a cabinet meeting, indicating that the government is in the process of collecting information to determine the extent of this phenomenon and if necessary measures are taken.
“We are in the process of collecting and reporting information to get a composite view of the situation, so that we can calmly characterize it and assess it on a national scale,” he said.
Exclusive information published by French radio RTL revealed that 144 breaches of the 2004 law on secularism were recorded in schools in the months of April and May of 2022 alone, according to the police, who provided an analysis of the phenomenon on June 8 and warned that teachers are “left alone” in the face of what is happening.
Bab Ndiaye stressed that the ministry is “well-equipped to respond to these phenomena” and that “institutions already have the means to intervene” through “republican laws on the banning of religious symbols of an apparent nature and advocacy of religion in schools.”
The 12-page police report noted a “multiple” of cases of female students refusing to take off their Islamic headscarves or who wished to wear “traditional” clothing such as abayas.