No imminent ban on headscarves with a Le Pen victory, her spokesperson claims

Sunday, April 24 will be a decisive day for France as Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen face each other again in the second round of the French presidential election, and in the period between the two rounds, the subject of the wearing of headscarves was revived, the Valeurs actuelles news outlet noted.

Marine Le Pen indicated on Saturday that she was not “obtuse” about the issue of wearing headscarves. Her spokesperson, Sébastien Chenu, commented on her remarks on BFM TV on Sunday as he recalled the contours of the ban that the National Rally (RN) wishes to introduce.

“Our goal is not to fight against women. It is to protect and liberate those on whom the headscarf is imposed,” he said, mentioning in particular “social pressure” or “family pressure.”

Such a ban on headscarves will not be imminent in the event of a Le Pen victory. It will, indeed, take time and go through several other changes first to “eradicate Islamism in the country,” Chenu explained, indicating that the closure of radical mosques, a stop to the funding of extremist groups and a ban on Salafism would take priority ahead of any ban on headscarves.

According to Chenu, there must also be a strong response in society. To do this, “we need everyone, especially our compatriots of the Muslim faith,” he noted in the interview with BFM TV.

“(The headscarf) is worn by some, not by all women, as an instrument, a flag of Islamism,” which shows a “generational divide,” Chenu added.

In the event of Marine Le Pen winning the keys to the Élysée Palace on Sunday, the “parliament will take up this issue and provide practical answers so that the 70-year-old grandmother, who has been wearing her headscarf for years, is not affected because she is not the target,” concluded Chenu.