(CNN) A woman in Denmark has become the first person to be fined since a controversial law banning face coverings came into force this week.

Danish police said that a 28-year-old woman was fined 1,000 Danish kroner (about $155) Friday in Hørsholm, north of the capital, Copenhagen.

Police were called to a shopping mall there following an altercation Friday between the woman wearing the veil and another woman, during which the former's face covering came off, a police spokesman said.

Both women received fines for public disorder, he said.

Critics say the legislation, passed in May , oppresses some Muslim women and violates their rights. The ban has been ridiculed for its vague language -- and for outlawing all facial coverings in public -- despite its backers clearly stating its real target is the Islamic face veil.

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