Amnesty International has issued a statement on the case of Fatima Afif, sacked from her job as a nursery assistant for wearing a headscarf.

The statement backs the recent ruling by the French Court of Cassation that Ms Afif was the victim of discrimination and adds:

“Amnesty International is concerned about the recent declarations of the French President François Hollande, who argued in a TV interview on 28 March 2013, that new legislation was necessary to enforce the respect of ‘secularism’ for employees in private child care facilities receiving public funds. Amnesty International calls on French authorities to avoid the introduction of a general prohibition on religious and cultural symbols and dress in private child care facilities….”