IG A woman wearing the veil on live TV sparks outrage among some French viewers

FREE now and never miss the top politics stories again. SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up fornow and never miss the top politics stories again. We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

The woman, who was caught up in the dramatic police siege on an apartment block in suburb north of Paris, appeared on live television wearing a niqab. She told how she sheltered in her flat with her baby as a woman blew herself up with a suicide belt as armed police stormed the building. Women are banned from wearing the burka - a full veil which covers the face - in public places in France.

Viewers took to social media to express their outrage, with one Twitter user saying: "France is walking up in shock. A woman DARES to show herself completely covered by a veil in front of the whole of France!" One Twitter user said the woman was "breaking the law". Another posted: "Am I dreaming or did France 2 interview a woman wearing a niqab? Or a full veil? Isn't this illegal in France?"

IG Wearing the burqa - but not headscarves - is banned in France

A full veil? Isn't this illegal in France? A Twitter user

Nadine Morano, a French politician and prominent member of Les Républicains - a centre-right party whose members include former French president Nicolas Sarkozy - also commented on the woman's television appearance. She said on Twitter: "The full veil in complete impunity on French television…" The veiled woman reportedly covered her face because she wanted to remain anonymous, according to French media.

Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam shot & arrested Fri, March 18, 2016 The most wanted IS memember Salah Abdeslam has been wounded in a counter terrorism raid in Brussels, said to be linked to last year's Paris attacks, in which 130 people died. Play slideshow Sky News 1 of 79 Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam shot and arrested in Brussels

She was interviewed after the siege in which Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the mastermind behind the Paris terror attacks, was believed to have been killed. The co-ordinated attacks on the French capital by Islamic State (ISIS) jihadis left at least 129 people dead.

GETTY A law banning the burka was passed in 2010

Islam is the main religion in Saint-Denis, with an estimated 700,000 Muslim residents, according to French prefect Philippe Galli. A law banning the burka was passed in 2010 because of France's commitment to its secular society, known as laïcité.