The French law banning Muslim women from wearing the burqa in public went into effect Monday, six months after France became the first Western country to institute such a ban, DPA reported.
Around 2,000 women are estimated to be affected by the law, which bans people from covering their faces in public but is particularly aimed at the burqa, a full-body covering, and niqab, a veil covering the face with just a slit for the eyes.
Practically, it means that women are barred from appearing in public in such garments, whether they do so of their own accord or under pressure from relatives. The ban includes public parks, restaurants, cinemas and beaches. It does not include private homes, places of worship or cars.
Within hours of the ban coming into effect authorities were put to the test as a woman wearing a niqab boarded a train to Paris from the southern city of Avignon.
Kenza Drider, 32, told reporters she considered the law a violation of her rights as a citizen of France and a European but that if she was cited by police.
"I am committing no crime," said Drider, who was on her way to Paris for a television interview.
Proponents of the law, which was backed by an overwhelming majority of French lawmakers, say it aims to protect women from Islamic fundamentalism and improve public security.
The law's detractors argue it will make imprison burqa or niqab wearers in their homes.
Any woman caught in public wearing a face covering can be fined 150 euros (217 dollars), although they can opt to take a course in civic education instead.
If it can be proven that a man has forced a woman into wearing the garments, he could potentially face a fine of up to 30,000 euros. In cases where an underage female has been forced to wear the clothing, the fine could reach 60,000 euros, with up to two years in prison.
Police have been ordered to apply the law with as much tact as possible, and to try to persuade rather than coerce women to show their face for identity checks.
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