Invité ce lundi sur BFMTV, David GuiraudThe LFI mayor of Roubaix strongly denounced the debate on banning the veil in public spaces. For him, such a measure would be "racist" and would mark a worrying shift in French political debate.
The left-wing leader believes that just a few years ago, a proposal of this kind would have provoked a much stronger reaction. "Now in France , we're debating the possibility of fining people who respect secularism," he lamented, judging that the mere fact that this idea has become a topic of discussion testifies to a profound change in the political climate.
"I don't want to live in a France where people are constantly chasing after others."
David Guiraud also criticizes the way the debate is being conducted. According to him, the question should not be solely one of the legal or policing feasibility of the ban. He says he regrets that the discussion is focused on the "technical aspects" of the measure instead of questioning the type of society France wants to build.
“I don’t want to live in a France where people are persecuted based on their religious symbols,” he declared. Echoing Mathilde Panot’s line of reasoning, he believes that banning the veil in public spaces amounts to targeting a segment of the French population because of their religious practices and therefore, in his view, constitutes discrimination.
