France says it won’t back down on headscarf law

FRANCE vowed yesterday to press ahead with a controversial law banning Islamic headscarves in schools, despite demands by militants holding two French journalists hostage in Iraq that Paris revoke the legislation.

Government spokesman Jean-Francois Cope said France would not compromise its values to win the release of the journalists, Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot. Militants claiming to hold them demanded the law be overturned within 48 hours a deadline set to expire late last night.

"The law will be applied," Mr Cope said, rejecting the militants' warning.