A schoolgirl in the French city of Lyon has reportedly been sent home for wearing a kimono, a traditional Japanese garment, as the European nation grapples with a controversial law banning the display of religious symbols in public schools.
Human rights lawyer Nabil Boudi, who plans to file a complaint over the incident, told Al Jazeera on Wednesday that the 15-year-old girl was told by the head teacher to leave the school because of her outfit – jeans, a t-shirt and an open kimono.
“This scenario illustrates the dangerous excesses that could legitimately be expected from the recent orders given by the education minister to his administration,” said Boudi.
“Absolutely nothing, in the mere wearing of a kimono, makes it possible to characterise an ostensible manifestation of belonging to a religion within the meaning of the law of March 15, 2004, without resorting to discriminatory prejudices.”
The student reportedly said that her clothes did not represent any religious affiliation.
Acts of discrimination committed by civil servants are punishable by criminal law, the lawyer said.
Le cabinet a été saisi ce jour par une jeune lycéenne ayant été exclue ce matin, par le proviseur, car elle portait un kimono.
Une plainte pour des faits de discrimination en raison de l’appartenance religieuse va être déposée.
Notre communiqué de presse. pic.twitter.com/L6y5JCvhJ4— Nabil Boudi (@BoudiNabil) September 5, 2023
Read more
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/6/french-school-expels-student-for-wearing-a-kimono-lawyer
