- Judge claimed she was ‘not recognizable’ due to her headscarf, activist tells Anadolu

NICE, France

A French judge expelled Tunisian-French activist Hager Barkous from a courtroom in Nice last Friday because she was wearing a hijab.

Barkous, 31, had attended the hearing of a fellow activist on trial for incitement to hatred after calling for a boycott of a restaurant whose owners were Zionists.

Expelled from courtroom

Speaking to Anadolu, Barkous, who heads the association Friends of Palestine, described the incident as shocking and discriminatory.

“I went to the court to show support and solidarity with my friend. I sat quietly at the back of the room,” she said.

“The judge, Christian Legay, entered, barely looked at the people present, and then turned to me, saying: ‘You who wear a veil, leave the room now because you are not recognizable and not identifiable’.”

She initially did not realize she was being addressed, but as people turned to her, she understood she was the target.

“I was stunned. The judge then shouted, ‘You get out now! You must leave when I say you get out’,” she recalled.

Despite her protests, four police officers escorted her outside, telling her she had to comply with the judge’s orders.

“I realized that in 2025, in France, I was a victim of discrimination—by a judge, someone meant to uphold justice, liberty, fraternity, and secularism,” she said.

Fear and discrimination

Outside the courtroom, Barkous saw three students, likely from a local school, who had also left. One of them, a veiled girl, was in tears.

“She told me she followed me because she was afraid the judge might also expel her in front of her entire class,” Barkous said.

“I was heartbroken. This young girl had done nothing wrong—she had simply come to observe the court’s proceedings, yet she faced this aggression.”

Barkous has previously experienced discrimination. In 2020, she sued McDonald’s after being fired for alleged misconduct, a case she believes was linked to her hijab.

Her experience is one of many involving Muslim women in France facing challenges at work and school due to their choice to wear the hijab.

Pursuing legal action

Three lawyers defending Barkous’ fellow activist challenged the judge’s decision.

“But her face is uncovered, so yes, indeed, she can stay,” they argued. However, the judge ignored them.

Barkous now plans to take legal action against what she calls a discriminatory and racist act.

“My lawyers and I will not let this go unchallenged. Today it happened to me; tomorrow, it will be another woman. This must stop,” she said.

“We need to eradicate this kind of discriminatory mentality and put an end to Islamophobia.”