French Senate Votes to Ban Religious Symbols in Sports Competitions, Including Hijabs

From now on, "for participation in sports events and competitions organized by sports federations and affiliated associations", women will have to do without the veil. This is the decision taken by the senators who, for the past few days, have been analyzing the draft law on respect for republican principles. Thus, several revisions have been made to strengthen neutrality in the world of sport, hence the ban on the veil.

However, although the veil was not specifically targeted, this decision mainly targets veiled women. Since the release of this draft law against separatism, several decisions have been made to the detriment of Muslim women. Moreover, this proposal by Senator Michel Savin (LR) obtained 183 approvals against 137 rejections. In this examination, Article 25 was voted and recommends the signing of a republican commitment contract by sports federations and associations, but also by making adjustments that can eliminate "the religious fact in the world of sport".

The same goes for the university sector where the senators have also inserted a decision that wants the statutes of approved sports federations to indicate the prohibition "of any action of religious propaganda or proselytism". In addition, "membership in a sports association affiliated with a federation will mean respecting the republican commitment contract," they have inserted into the draft law. Furthermore, reporting "any attack on secularism or the physical and moral integrity of persons observed or brought to its attention" is now mandatory.

However, these various proposals included in the draft law are worrying. Because "when we create very vague laws, we create a tool of repression that can be used very widely. These laws give weapons of war to any less respectful governments of human rights," estimated Anne-Sophie Simpere, a lawyer with Amnesty International, in an intervention on the Public Senat channel.