PARIS, April 9 (UPI) -- French police Saturday stymied an effort to protest the ban on face veils, detaining 58 people who tried to hold a demonstration in Paris without a permit.
The ban takes effect Monday. While the law bars wearing any type of facial covering that disguises identity, those most affected are Muslim women who wear the niqab, a veil that covers the entire face except the eyes.
Authorities refused a permit for the demonstration Friday, saying it might inspire a violent counterdemonstration, Radio France Internationale reported. Protesters who tried to gather Saturday near the Place des Nations were taken in for confirmation of identity.
Police said 18 of those arrested were women. Two of those detained were ordered to leave France, one to Britain and the other Belgium.
The ban on veiling applies in most public places, although not in business offices. The law does not allow police to remove facial veils, but those who refuse to take them off can be taken to a police station for confirmation of identity and fined.
