Tourists in Alps warned of French burqa ban

From the French edition of The Local

The picturesque town of Annecy, in south eastern France, is described in tourist brochures as the Venice of the Alps, and it draws in tourists from all over the Alps region, especially from Switzerland.

However, locals in the idyllic tourist hotspot complained to authorities last summer that some of these tourists were wearing full face veils – known as burkas or Niqab – which are legal in Switzerland but were controversially banned from all public places in France in 2011. 

Annecy police have now taken action to let  tourists know that they are breaking the law with their religious headwear, handing out flyers in both English and French to those seen wearing veils in an effort to alert them to the fact that they are in breach of the French law. 

While burka-clad people face a €150 ($165) fine, police are yet to hand out anything more than a reminder, reported Swiss newspaper Le Temps. Officers have been advised not to give out fines, rather to discuss the matter with the tourists and to ask them to show their face privately.