Muslims Protest French Veil Ban

(Trappes, France)

Five people were injured and six arrested during a protest over enforcement of France's ban on Islamic face veils.

Approximately 250 people threw missiles during clashes with police, who responded by firing tear gas in the town of Trappes on Friday evening.

A 14-year-old boy sustained a serious eye injury from a missile during the violence. Four police officers were injured and six people were detained, according to an official with the regional police administration.

The violence came after a gathering of about 200-250 people to protest the arrest of a man on Thursday whose wife was ticketed for wearing a face veil. The husband tried to strangle an officer who was doing the ticketing, prosecutor Vincent Lesclous said.

The veil issue is not going away until one side loses. Government-mandated secularism is in direct conflict with Islamic religious traditions.