The founder of a French group called Don’t Touch My Constitution swooped into a Brussels town hall on Wednesday to settle fines that had been slapped on two women wearing full-body Islamic dress under Belgium’s new burqa ban.
‘As a European citizen, I cannot accept that a democratic government can curtail fundamental freedoms,’ Rachid Nekkaz, a French businessman who has set up a 1-million-euro (1.4-million-dollar) fund to help cover burqa fines, was quoted as saying by the local press.
The 50-euro fines issued in Brussels had been given to two women aged 16 and 17.
Belgium in July followed in France’s footsteps to become the second country in Europe to effectively ban the burqa, implementing a fine of up to 137 euros (197 dollars) and up to seven days’ imprisonment for anyone caught with their face hidden.
Officials argue that the law is a matter of safety. Concerns about women being forced into wearing the burqa have also been raised.
But those on the other side argue that many women freely choose to wear the burqa and that the bans are discriminatory.
Nekkaz said he was heading back to France next to settle a 75-euro burqa fine there. He is reportedly also considering filing a complaint against France and Belgium before the European Court of Human Rights.
Two women who willingly wear the burqa in Belgium have also pledged to fight the country’s ban before its constitutional court. The French ban has been challenged in national courts, but was eventually upheld.