Paris - Police say a woman was ticketed in a suburban Paris shopping centre for wearing a face veil, in the first public sanction under a new ban on the garments.
Regional police said Tuesday the 27-year-old was stopped by police in the mall parking lot in the town of Mureaux. She was handed a ticket that requires her to pay a $216 fine or register for citizenship classes within a month.
Police say the Monday exchange was brief and calm and the woman was not brought to the police station.
France's ban on veils such as the niqab and burqa came into effect Monday.
Though such veils are very rare in France, many Muslims see the ban as a stigma. President Nicolas Sarkozy says such veils imprison women and wanted a ban to uphold equality and secularism. - Sapa-AP