France arrests two as face veil ban begins

FRANCE’S new ban on Islamic face veils was met with a burst of defiance as several women appeared veiled in front of Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral and two were detained for taking part in an unauthorised protest.

France, home to Europe’s biggest Muslim population, yesterday officially became the world’s first country to ban the veils anywhere in public, from outdoor marketplaces to the sidewalks and boutiques of the Champs-Elysees.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy set the wheels in motion for the ban nearly two years ago, saying the veils imprison women and contradict his secular nation’s values of dignity and equality. The ban enjoyed wide public support when it was approved by parliament last year.