French police fined a woman for wearing a full-face Islamic veil, the first reported
enforcement of a ban on the garment on the day it came into effect, a police source said on Tuesday.
Earlier, Police arrested two protesters wearing niqab veils after a ban on full-face coverings went into effect.
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The women were part of a demonstration in front of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, and according to police were detained for taking part in an unauthorised protest; not for wearing their veils.
But in theory, French officials can now fine Muslim women who refuse orders to expose their faces when in public.
Another woman wearing an Islamic headscarf that didn't cover her face, as well as a protest organiser were arrested.
French officials estimate only about two thousand women from a total Muslim population estimated at between four and six million wear the full-face veils.
The proudly secular nation is home to Europe's biggest Muslim population.
