French Senate Passes Bill Banning Religious Symbols on School Trips

Voted in a context marked by the attack on the Bayonne mosque and the relaunch of the debate on the wearing of the veil by Julien Odoul who attacked a veiled woman during the Regional Council of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, the LR bill does not receive the assent of all, hence the diminishing of its chances of prospering in the National Assembly, dominated by the presidential majority.

In the run-up to the vote on the LR proposal, Jean-Michel Blanquer, Minister of Education, remained constant in his opposition to the text.

"I’ll tell you right away, my position hasn’t changed. [...] By going beyond what is necessary, a law would also be counterproductive because it would send a confused message to families. Indeed, we want to bring families closer to schools and that is the best chance of accomplishing the republican project," he said.

For him, it is "impossible to ask the law to regulate every aspect of everyday life".

The text aims to amend the Education Code in order to extend the ban on conspicuous religious symbols from the 2004 law to all persons participating in school activities.