But those comments were made at the Olympics, where sportsmanship is seen as a very serious matter. Other athletes have been banned or suspended by their federation because of unsportsmanlike behaviour just like hers.

Exactly. I think it has less to do with sexism and more to do with the Olympics. 3 French tennis players have been suspended from the national team over “unsportsmanlike behavior” = small stuff.

That is the dumbest reasoning I’ve heard today. She has access to a car but hey let’s complicate things (and potentially make them more expensive and less convenient), because of what people might think!

To be fair, the whole idea of unpaid long internship seems crazy to me. In France, if your internship is more than 2 months, you have to be paid. I’ve done 4-5 internships during my 2 masters, and they were all paid, most of them very well (1200€/month). I know I’m very lucky and it’s far from being the case for…

Please, I’m talking about national debates, not debates between you and your friends. Nobody hears about those debates on religious bank holidays or other you claim to exist, yet everybody in France and abroad has heard about the headscarf of the burqa debates.... I guess there’s a real issue only when it concerns a…

Explain to me exactly how you endure proselytism in public space? How is a woman wearing a scarf at the beach proselytism? Are you forced to do religious things in public, or is it simply the sight of religious signs that offend you? We can take that argument further to see how ridiculous it is: if you see a gay…

I agree, I think it’s easier to get into an interracial marriage in France than in the US (from what I’ve read).

There’s a lot of French people commenting (myself included). And as a person of color, I will say that the whole argument you’re displaying doesn’t make any sense at all, and I strongly disagree.

The hypocrisy of it. I just can't.

And also the fact that nobody cares to see nuns or Buddhist monks in full religious clothes taking the metro in paris (I have several times when I was living in paris).

Nothing to do with it. None of the attacks have been done by Muslim women wearing burkinis or whatever. And we already had that me same conversion before the attacks with the headscarf. This has everything to do with the rising islamophobia in France.

You got it, false excuse. They had to find a reason to implement the ban without looking like they're targeting Muslim. News flash: they failed.

No, what you’re describing is “egalité”. Fraternité is more “we must help each other”, hence the whole concept of French social system based on this “brotherhood” (the rich oh for the poor, the working class for the retired, etc).

Are really western costumes so hygienic, and burkini so dirty?

The funny thing is, people say: if you're covering yourself because you're shy or whatever, it's fine, but if it's for religious reason (read: if you're a Muslim), it's an attack on French Values.

PREACH.

It's a fucking real pleasure to read you throughout this thread. I'm French and I've debated this issue with many people online and offline. I just can't anymore with the French mentality displayed these days. I just feel we are going backwards, and people feel justified in their islamophobia.

Believe me, I'm French and I don't understand us anymore. The whole country is going to shits.

I fucking second that. I’m French and I’m so infuriated, especially when people use feminist arguments (mostly white feminist) like “we fought for the right to wear mini-skirts, this is a regression”. Fucking check your history, we fought for the women’s right to wear whatever they want, including what we don’t want…

The problem is at the moment, you’re the meatball believer asking others to tiptoe around you in order not to offend you. You don’t want to live that way, yet you’re asking others to live that way.