Frenchman who ripped a Muslim woman's veil off is given a five-month suspended sentence

Muslim woman had her veil ripped off at a fairground in Nantes



30-year-old man protested that he was just enforcing French law

Veil ban came into force in April 2011



A Frenchman who ripped a Muslim woman's veil off her eyes was given a five-month suspended prison sentence today.



The 30-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said he was merely trying to 'enforce' his country's laws when he carried out the attack in the French city of Nantes.

He approached the woman in a fairground in September last year and pulled away the veil that was covering the woman's eyes.

Veil attack: The 30-year-old man pulled away the veil that was covering the woman's eyes at a French fairground last year (posed by model)

A judgment against him released by the Nantes criminal court said: 'Ordinary citizens are not entitled to take the law into their own hands.'

The man, who originally gave a false identity to police, said he was a firm believer in the 2010 law brought in by government of former President, Nicolas Sarkozy.

But the judge said that he had acted like a 'vigilante' and carried out the attack solely because he was prejudiced against the women's faith.

Mr Sarkozy had described Muslim face coverings as an affront to the principles of the French Republic, saying that they could be used by both shoplifters and terrorists to hide their own identities.

The defendant pleaded guilty to a charge of aggravated assault and apologised for what he had done, according to his lawyer.



He was also ordered to pay compensation to his victim, who also remains unnamed, in accordance with a court order.



The incident in the Brittany city was one in a long line triggered by Mr Sarkozy's ban, which came into force in April 2011.

Previous president: Nicolas Sarkozy brought in the veil ban after describing it as an affront to French principles

Last September, Louis-Marie Suisse, a Muslim teenager from Marseille received a two month prison sentence for biting a policewoman who arrested her for wearing a full-face veil.

Under the law, women found guilty of wearing niqabs in public can be fined the equivalent of around 130 pounds, or be forced to go toe citizenship classes.