Rabat – France’s far-right National Rally (RN) party plans to impose fines on women who wear the Islamic veil in public if it wins the 2027 presidential election, party lawmaker Jean-Philippe Tanguy said Sunday.
Tanguy, a close ally of Marine Le Pen, confirmed that the proposal has now been settled within the party after being debated internally. Speaking to BFMTV, he said the RN would “sanction the wearing of the veil” as part of its plan to fight what it calls Islamist ideology.
“If there are women who wear the veil when it is banned, they will receive a fine,” Tanguy said, comparing the proposed penalty to fines imposed on drivers who do not wear seat belts.
The proposal would revive one of Le Pen’s long-standing political positions. The RN leader had already called for a ban on wearing the Islamic veil in public spaces during her previous presidential campaigns.
The measure was reportedly debated within the party while Jordan Bardella was seen as a possible alternative presidential candidate. Tanguy said the issue has now been decided.
“This is not only about freedom of clothing,” he argued, saying the veil represents an ideology that he believes goes against values France has promoted for years.
A long-running debate over the hijab
The announcement comes amid a long-running and often heated debate in France over Islam, secularism, and the visibility of Muslims in public life.
France has some of Europe’s strictest rules on religious symbols in public institutions. The country banned conspicuous religious symbols, including Islamic headscarves, in public schools in 2004. In 2010, it introduced a ban on covering the face in public spaces, which affects garments such as the niqab but does not ban the ordinary hijab.
The RN’s proposed measure would go further by targeting the hijab itself in public spaces.
Supporters of such restrictions often argue that they protect secularism, gender equality, and public order. Critics, however, say that banning the hijab would restrict Muslim women’s freedom to choose what they wear and would disproportionately target Muslims.
Human rights groups and Muslim organizations have repeatedly warned that measures targeting Islamic clothing can contribute to discrimination and hostility toward Muslims.
The burkini has also become a political issue
The debate has also extended to the burkini, a full-body swimsuit Muslim women wear.
In 2016, several French towns attempted to ban the burkini on beaches. Images of police officers forcing a Muslim woman to remove clothing on a beach in Nice sparked international criticism and renewed debate over whether such restrictions were compatible with individual freedom.
France’s highest administrative court, the Council of State, later suspended a burkini ban in the town of Villeneuve-Loubet, ruling that authorities could not restrict beach access without evidence of a clear threat to public order.
The issue returned in later years, particularly around school swimming pools and public facilities, where local authorities and politicians debated whether burkinis should be allowed.
The renewed discussion about the hijab comes amid wider concerns about Islamophobia in France.
Muslim women who wear visible religious clothing face particular scrutiny in public spaces, while political debates over the hijab, burkini, and other forms of Islamic dress have made Muslim clothing a recurring issue in French politics.
Critics of the RN’s proposal argue that singling out the hijab risks turning Muslim women’s clothing into a political target. They also question whether forcing women to remove a religious garment can be presented as a measure to protect women’s freedom.
The RN, meanwhile, says its position is part of a broader effort to combat Islamist ideology and defend France’s secular model.
