"President Jacques Chirac is playing a terribly, terribly dangerous game," said Livingstone

LONDON, February 10 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – London Mayor Ken Livingstone slammed Tuesday, February 10, as "anti-Muslim measure" the planned French ban on hijab in state schools, accusing French President Jacques Chirac plays a "terribly, terribly dangerous game".

Speaking at a London press conference held to discuss the French vote on the anti-hijab bill, Livingstone warned that the proposed ban pandered to racist sentiment in society, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

"It is an anti-Muslim measure and will stir up anti-Muslim pressure," asserted the mayor.

"President Jacques Chirac is playing a terribly, terribly dangerous game, in the same way that many politicians felt they could pander to Hitler in the '20s," he said.

"The only way to defeat fascism in Europe is to stand against every demand they [fascists] make," the mayor told the press conference.

On February 5, Livingstone wrote a letter to French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, urging him "to reconsider restricting fundamental religious freedoms in France through the proposed legislation".

He underlined that "any form of discrimination against Muslims' religious freedom has the effect of stigmatizing them".

Livingstone was speaking just before France's lower house of parliament adopted the discriminatory bill with overwhelming majority.

The text, put forward by Chirac's ruling centre-right Union for a Popular Majority (UMP) party and supported by the left-wing opposition Socialists, was adopted by a vote of 494 to 36.

Last month, a sea of demonstrators gathered outside French Embassies and diplomatic missions in Britain and around the world to protest the French plans.

In Britain, it is permitted to wear hijab, Sikh turbans and Jewish skullcaps at schools and in public institutions.

The British government has stressed that it will not follow the French example, much to the relief of the Muslim community there.