French Actress Leïla Bekhti Calls for Unity Amid Veil Controversy

"I am appalled by the hatred and rejection of the other that is spreading in society. I no longer want women to be rejected because they wear a veil or not, that men be looked at with suspicion because of their name, their faith, their skin color."

This is how actress Leïla Bekhti deplored the controversy around the wearing of the veil. Julien Odoul, an RN elected official "had been very aggressive" towards a veiled woman who had accompanied her son to the Regional Council of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté on October 11, 2019. This attitude of the politician quickly relaunched the debate on the wearing of the veil.

The actress urged all French people to go towards the path of living together. "Despite the hatred bearers, the path of living together exists. It is up to us to spread it," she said.