Liberty, Equality, Fraternity?

I read a brief news report today, about two Muslim women wearing face veils being arrested in France. France is the only country in Europe, apparently, that has banned a dress code which some Muslims consider both a religious duty and a moral imperative.

I posted about this when the ban was first brought in. Whilst my aversion to organised religion must be legendary by now, I fully respect everybody’s right to follow a religion and accord with its diktats as long as they’re not causing any harm. I simply don’t fall for the ‘security issue’ reason that is trotted out. That seems to me to be no more than a disingenuous excuse to cover religious and racial intolerance.

Now, I freely admit that the report I read was brief, and so a lot of the detail is missing. Nevertheless, one aspect of it raised a couple of interesting questions.

The French authorities said that the women weren’t arrested for wearing the veil, but for ‘taking part in an unauthorised protest.’ I have to ask, therefore:

1) Was everybody else taking part in this protest also arrested?

2) Am I to believe that protests have to be authorised in France?

I think that any further comment would be unnecessary, except perhaps to question just what the word ‘democracy’ means.