Hijab in Sports: Government Tensions as Bayrou Convenes Crisis Meeting

The debate over wearing the hijab in sports competitions has sparked intense controversy within the government. In response to internal tensions, Prime Minister François Bayrou convened several ministers for a meeting on Tuesday, March 18, to restore order.

A High-Stakes Meeting at Matignon

Among those attending the meeting are Élisabeth Borne (Education), Gérald Darmanin (Justice), Marie Barsacq (Sports), Bruno Retailleau (Interior), and Aurore Bergé, Minister Delegate for Gender Equality. This initiative comes after sharp exchanges between government members regarding the hijab in sports.

“Internal criticisms between ministers are unacceptable,” François Bayrou reportedly said in a meeting with central bloc officials, directly targeting Gérald Darmanin and Bruno Retailleau.

Darmanin and Retailleau in Open Conflict

Gérald Darmanin has openly expressed his disagreement with Marie Barsacq, who had stated that wearing the hijab in sports “was not Islamist entryism.” “The hijab must be banned in sports competitions, it’s obvious,” the Justice Minister declared on TF1, regretting that neither the Sports Minister nor the Education Minister supported this ban, recently passed by the Senate.

Bruno Retailleau, the Interior Minister, also expressed his “radical disagreement” with Marie Barsacq in an interview with Le Parisien.

A Risk of Government Fracture

François Bayrou’s stance on this issue is being closely watched. Gérald Darmanin has hinted that he may leave the government if a more lenient position is adopted. “We cannot remain in a government that gives in on these issues,” he asserted. However, his entourage clarified that this was not a “resignation ultimatum,” as long as the ban on the hijab in sports competitions remains in place.

The government’s discord on this matter highlights deep internal divisions and puts François Bayrou in a difficult political dilemma.