French police going Erdogan over al-niqab?

[Duque de Bragança]

CERGY, June 12, 2013 (AFP) – Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse an angry crowd in a town on the outskirts of Paris where clashes erupted on Wednesday night after they questioned a woman wearing a niqab, which is banned in France.

A police source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the incident started when police stopped a 25-year-old woman in the centre of Argenteuil, a suburb north-west of Paris, who was wearing a niqab.

A passer-by got involved, calling the check "illegitimate", and soon a crowd of about 60 people gathered and attacked the police, who called for back-up, said the source.

"The police were insulted and beaten," he said.

A 32-year-old resident, who asked not to be named, said police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd in Argenteuil, which has a large Muslim population.

The police source said two men, including a cousin of the young woman, were arrested. Some 40 police officers were called to break up the clashes.

France has outraged many Muslims with its law against the niqab, which came into force in April 2011 and bans covering one's face in public.

Violations are punishable by a fine of up to 150 euros ($190) or mandatory citizenship training.

About 300 women were caught breaking the law in the first year it was in force, according to the interior ministry.

http://www.aquila-style.com/focus-points/police-check-of-woman-in-niqab-sparks-clashes-near-paris/

French article has more details

De violents affrontements ont opposé mardi soir plusieurs dizaines de policiers à des habitants d'Argenteuil, dans le Val-d'Oise, après le contrôle d'une femme de 25 ans portant le voile intégral, a-t-on appris mercredi de sources concordantes.

Alors que les policiers procédaient au contrôle d'identité de cette femme, dans une rue semi-piétonne du centre-ville d'Argenteuil, un attroupement s'est formé et a dégénéré en affrontement, mardi vers 19 heures. "La jeune femme avait dans un premier temps accepté le contrôle. Mais un passant s'en est mêlé, pour dire que le contrôle était à ses yeux illégitime. Il a commencé à s'en prendre aux policiers", a indiqué une source proche du dossier.

Un rassemblement d'une soixantaine de personnes s'est alors formé autour de la jeune femme et des fonctionnaires, qui ont appelé des renforts. "Les policiers ont été pris à partie. Ils ont été insultés et ont reçu des coups, notamment des coups de poing", a assuré la source proche du dossier, évoquant une scène d'"émeute".

LACRYMOGÈNES ET TIRS DE FLASH-BALL

Selon un habitant d'Argenteuil qui a assisté à la scène, les policiers ont utilisé des bombes lacrymogènes et des tirs de flash-ball pour disperser la foule. "Ils ont fait un usage de la force disproportionné. Dans la foule, il y avait des enfants dans des poussettes, qui ont reçu du gaz lacrymogène", a affirmé cet homme de 32 ans, qui n'a pas souhaité donner son nom.

Selon la source proche du dossier, deux hommes dont un cousin de la jeune femme ont été interpellés lors des échauffourées. Agés de 23 et 37 ans, ils ont été placés en garde à vue pour "provocation à l'attroupement", "violences sur personne dépositaire de l'ordre public", "outrage" et "rébellion". Une quarantaine de policiers ont été mobilisés pour ramener le calme après les échauffourées, a précisé cette source. "La situation n'est revenue à la normale que vers 20 h 30", a-t-elle précisé.

La loi du 11 octobre 2010 interdit de dissimuler son visage dans l'espace public. La violation de cette interdiction est punie d'une amende maximum de 150 euros. Un an après l'entrée en vigueur de cette loi, le 11 avril 2011, environ 300 femmes avaient été verbalisées.

http://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2013/06/12/affrontements-a-argenteuil-apres-le-controle-d-une-femme-en-niqab_3428901_3224.html

I have not seen the non-bobo faction of Lemonde.fr so vehement for quite a while. Usually, the bobos are quite in strength with the newspaper catering to them by calling Erdogan an islamo-conservative instead of islamist.

No bobos to complain about the use of flashballs by the police yet. In other countries even democratic (USA or even Sweden ), rebellion against police officers would be answered by gunshot.

I like how a resident of Argenteuil (guess it's not one of Frankish, Gallic and/or Latin stock) is complaining about the use of non-lethal force against the angry crowd since "there were kids in strollers" (not 1500 dollars worth I hope) "who breathed tear gars." Well, that's human shield tactics for you...

NB: Argenteuil is 20 km away from Paris and a town with an impressionist past ( e.g Monet's Argenteuil painting and Monet among there lived there for a few years). Never been there myself...

[Tamas]

Religious nuttery must be fought. Go French police!

[Razgovory]

Tamas, you really disappoint me.  I guess you'll always be a Eastern European.

[jimmy olsen]

Not helping your case by calling them Bobos.

[Duque de Bragança]

Not helping your case by calling them Bobos.

Yet, that's what they are (I take it you know what it means?) and that's their case that needs help, not mine.

[Tamas]

Tamas, you really disappoint me.  I guess you'll always be a Eastern European.

Maybe they should claim the islamotard-wife women can't wear the veils because they pose a national security risk. Then 56% of Americans would support their ban.

[Razgovory]

Tamas, you really disappoint me.  I guess you'll always be a Eastern European.

Maybe they should claim the islamotard-wife women can't wear the veils because they pose a national security risk. Then 56% of Americans would support their ban.

That's great, but I still won't.  Seriously though, Tamas.  You are better then this.

[Tamas]

Yes I am.

Human sacrifice, cannibalism, cruelty to animals, these were all religious customs we have come to ban. Objectification and effective slavery of women is ought to follow.

[Razgovory]

Yes I am.

Human sacrifice, cannibalism, cruelty to animals, these were all religious customs we have come to ban. Objectification and effective slavery of women is ought to follow.

Objectification of women?  So what, you are against porn now?

[Tamas]

Raz, this is the last time I am answering to any of your posts for a while, so I suggest you stop trying.

[Viking]

There is a fundamental problem when "culture" causes a citizen to be unable to interact with the government and state and causes the government and state to be unable to interact with the citizen.

The problem isn't the niqab the problem is the culture that thinks that women need a male guardian regardless of age. The niqab is a symptom of this.

[Viking]

Raz, this is the last time I am answering to any of your posts for a while, so I suggest you stop trying.

We need a "Like" button for posts here like facebook has.

[Razgovory]

There is a fundamental problem when "culture" causes a citizen to be unable to interact with the government and state and causes the government and state to be unable to interact with the citizen.

The problem isn't the niqab the problem is the culture that thinks that women need a male guardian regardless of age. The niqab is a symptom of this.

It's not the duty of citizens to engage their government, it's the duty of government to interact with it's citizens.

[Viking]

There is a fundamental problem when "culture" causes a citizen to be unable to interact with the government and state and causes the government and state to be unable to interact with the citizen.

The problem isn't the niqab the problem is the culture that thinks that women need a male guardian regardless of age. The niqab is a symptom of this.

It's not the duty of citizens to engage their government, it's the duty of government to interact with it's citizens.

1. I used the word "unable" not "obligated", you are being willfully obtuse as well as ignoring the content of my post.
2. What Tamas said

[Grey Fox]

Raz!

Go French Police Go!