French lawmakers will this week debate a bill that would ban headscarves in all sporting competitions

Amnesty International has urged French lawmakers to reject a proposed bill that would ban headscarves in sporting competitions.

The bill, supported by right-wing senators, is set for debate in the French parliament’s upper house this week. It aims to prohibit all “ostensibly religious” clothing and symbols during competitive events.

Amnesty International has condemned the proposed legislation as discriminatory, arguing that it infringes upon religious freedom. The vote is expected to reignite the ongoing debate surrounding secularism in France, a principle enshrined in the 1905 law separating church and state.