RN’s plan to fine veiled women in public reignites explosive debate in France

Jean-Philippe Tanguy has put France’s long-running veil debate back at the center of political campaigning by promising fines for women who wear the garment in public.

The National Rally lawmaker said on BFMTV that the party would “combat Islamist ideology” and “sanction the wearing of the veil” if it won the presidential election. He compared the proposed penalty with fines for people who drive without wearing a seat belt.

Tanguy said that, under a Marine Le Pen presidency, women wearing the veil in public “will have a fine.” He rejected the idea that the issue fell under freedom of dress, describing the veil instead as an ideology contrary to what France had stood for over many years.

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We will obviously combat Islamist ideology and sanction the wearing of the veil.

National Rally leaders and elected officials have since appeared on television to defend the proposal. The plan has provoked an outcry that has reached parts of the political right, while also prompting doubts about whether it could be applied. The measure would proceed through a referendum, according to the description of the proposal.

The debate returns an issue that repeatedly enters France’s public discussion. The proposal’s critics portray it as rooted in hostility toward Islam, while the party presents it as part of a fight against Islamist ideology.

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Will have a fine.