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Violence Erupts in France after Muslim Veil Arrest


Violence broke out in a Paris suburb during a Friday night protest of France's ban on Muslim face veils.

Some 250 people gathered outside the police station in the town of Trappes after a man was arrested Thursday for assaulting a police officer during a police check of his veiled wife.

The protesters, angry about the arrest, threw objects and destroyed property before clashing with riot police. French authorities say six people were detained and at least one person -- a 14-year-old boy -- suffered a serious eye injury from a projectile.

Police said order had been restored by Saturday morning but said reinforcements would remain in Trappes to help maintain calm.

France's so-called "burqa ban" has been in place since 2011. The law makes it illegal to wear face-concealing clothing in public, including the burqa and niqab that some Muslim women wear.



Trappes is among many towns across France that erupted in rioting in 2005. The rioting in poor, heavily immigrant suburbs around Paris later spread across the country, prompting officials to declare a state of emergency.
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