Woman rips veil from shopper’s face in burka row

A lawyer ripped off a shopper's Islamic veil in a clothes shop after the two women clashed over her burka.

The pair were arrested after blows were exchanged. Racial tensions within France are growing as the country prepares to introduce a total ban on burkas and other forms of religious dress which cover the face.

The 26-year-old Muslim convert was walking through the store in Trignac, near Nantes, on Saturday when she overhead the 60-year-old lawyer making "snide remarks about her black burka".

A police officer added: "The lawyer said she was not happy seeing a fellow shopper wearing a veil and wanted the ban introduced as soon as possible."

The lawyer, who was with her daughter, is said to have likened the Muslim woman to Belphegor — a fictional character on French TV who covers up his hideous features using a mask.

A "shouting argument" started before the older woman is said to have ripped away the other woman's veil. As they came to blows, the lawyer's daughter joined in.

"The shop manager and the husband of the Muslim woman moved to break up the fighting," the officer added. "All three were arrested."

France has adopted a formal motion declaring burkas and other forms of Islamic dress to be "an affront to the nation's values". Some have accused criminals of wearing veils to disguise themselves. A public ban could be introduced as early as the autumn, with women facing a £100 fine for flouting the law.