On the eve of Bastille Day marking the French republic's secular narrative, French MPs voted 335 to one in favour of a law outlawing the burka and niqab from French streets.

The vote, which must be backed by the Senate in September before coming into effect, means France is the second European country after Belgium to clamp down on the veil.

Under proposals, women who defy the legislation could face fines of €150. Men who 'force' their wives to cover their face could face up to €30,000 and a year in jail, with both penalties doubled if the victim is a minor.

The EU Observer notes that 'only a small minority - 1,900 women - of France's Muslims wear the full veil.' It further states that in March, 'France's Council of State, a senior government advisory body, warned that the bill could be unconsitutional. If the Senate approves the legislation, it will be reviewed by the country's Constitutional Court.'

The Council of Europe has already warned that such laws infringe on the liberty of individuals, and would deny women 'who genuinely and freely desire' to wear the niqab and burqa. A ban on veils on the streets of France will likely be challenged by the European Court of Human Rights.

As usual, some UK newspapers seized the opportunity to push forward the narrative of banning the burqa in Britain.

The Daily Express’ front page headline read ‘France votes to ban burkha’ with the strap-line ‘Pressure mounts for Britain to follow suit.’ The Express proceeds to amplifying the views of fringe elements, including backbench Tory MP Phillip Hollobone, who has tabled a private members' bill to outlaw the burqa in Britain, and UKIP leader Lord Pearson – both of whom have made it their business to speak on behalf of Muslim women, without actually having consulted veil-wearing women.

To add icing to the cake, the Express contends:

‘A ban on burkhas is supported by 99 per cent of Britons, a Daily Express poll found last month.’

The Daily Mail similarly reported: ‘Britain faced growing calls to ban the burka today after French MPs voted overwhelmingly to outlaw full-face veils in public.’ Its article then proceeds to talk about Hollobone’s bill alone, duping readers into thinking one person calling for a burqa ban in Britain merits the plural terminology used in its article’s headline, which read: ‘Calls grow for burka ban in Britain as French outlaw Islamic 'walking coffins'.’

The Daily Star’s editorial meanwhile stated:

‘Banning the Muslim veil – and any other form of face-covering masks – is without a doubt a controversial issue.

‘However, it should be up to the people to make that decision.

‘The fact is a huge number of Brits are intimidated when they are faced with someone completely covering their face in public.’

Are the musings of the Daily Mail, Daily Express and Daily Star in keeping with what Briton’s think? A ComRes poll commissioned by the Independent earlier this year found that 52% of respondents said ‘there should be no legal restrictions on wearing a burkha’ and 59% said they do not believe ‘it should be illegal to wear a burkha in any public space.’

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LibertyPhile  - The full picture     |2010-07-14 14:33:27 Other results in the ComRes survey you quote include: 64% said it should be illegal to wear a burkha/face veil in places like banks and airports, and 61% said schools should be allowed to prevent teachers from wearing burkhas/face veils if they wish. ComRes telephoned 1,016 GB adults on 27-28 January 2010. Another survey was carried out by Angus Reid Public Opinion who did online interviews with 2,001 British adults between Jan. 20 and Jan. 21, 2010. They found that: 22% agree with banning the Hijab in public places 66% the Niqab, and 72% the Burqa 67% agreed that garments that conceal a woman’s face are an affront to British values. A fuller comparison of these surveys and of relevant sections from the Gallup Coexist Survey (which covered France and Germany) can be found here: http://libertyphile2.blogspot.com/2010/01/banning-burkha-and-face-veil-in-uk_02.html

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