A new poll finds nearly seven in ten French voters favor extending existing restrictions on Islamic veils, reflecting growing concern over national identity and secularism.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A recent survey by CSA for Le Journal du Dimanche shows that 69 percent of French voters would support a nationwide ban on wearing Islamic veils in public. The figure represents an eight-point rise since 2022, when 61 percent expressed support for such a measure.
Public attitudes toward visible expressions of Islamic faith have hardened in recent years as France continues to navigate tensions between secular republican principles and its growing Muslim population, many of whom trace their roots to North Africa. The debate has intensified amid signs that younger generations in immigrant communities are maintaining strong religious identities.
France already bans full-face coverings such as the burqa and niqab, a policy enacted in 2011. The current discussion centers on whether the law should extend to headscarves like the hijab, which are commonly worn in public.
Support for a broader ban is highest among voters aligned with right-leaning parties, including 82 percent of National Rally supporters and 80 percent of Les Républicains. Sixty-five percent of voters backing President Emmanuel Macron’s coalition also favor a ban, while 51 percent of those identifying with left-wing parties share that view. Voters supporting the Greens and Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s France in Revolt movement are mostly opposed, at 65 and 56 percent, respectively.
The findings follow a recent controversy after several veiled schoolgirls attended a National Assembly budget session in Paris. National Assembly President Yaël Braun-Pivet of the Renaissance party described the incident as a breach of the secular principles established by the 2004 law regulating religious expression in schools. “It seems unacceptable to me that young children should be able to wear ostentatious religious signs in the galleries,” she wrote, urging vigilance to prevent similar occurrences.
Her remarks drew criticism from members of the far left, including France in Revolt MP Paul Vannier, who labeled them “Islamophobic.”
The debate has also reached the Senate, where members of Les Républicains recently issued a report proposing a ban on headscarves for girls under 16. The senators argued that the veil serves as “an instrument of social control” and contributes to the isolation of certain communities from republican norms.
Despite public support for expanding restrictions, the Macron government has signaled opposition. Newly appointed Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez stated that such a law would “stigmatize our Muslim compatriots who may feel hurt.” His position contrasts with that of his predecessor, Bruno Retailleau, known for his tougher stance on Islamist influence.
Meanwhile, some figures on the left argue that the visibility of the veil represents confidence, not division. Sasha Bernet, a France in Revolt candidate for mayor of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Lande, told Le Figaro that wearing the veil “is a sign of integration into French society,” noting that earlier generations of immigrants often avoided public displays of religious attire.
The issue remains central to France’s broader debate over secularism, integration, and the limits of individual expression in public life—questions that continue to shape the nation’s political landscape.
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