Posters promoting tolerance and acceptance of Muslim women wearing the hijab were removed from display in France after a public outcry.
The poster campaign by the Council of Europe called for respect for Muslim women who choose to wear headscarves, a visible sign of faith, with the slogan ‘Beauty is in diversity as freedom is in hijab’.
The campaign was criticized by some of the most well-known politicians in France, who claimed the hijab did not in fact represent freedom, with some claiming the campaign actively encouraged women to wear headscarves.
Tweets promoting the campaign have been deleted.
France is thought to be the country with the largest anti-Muslim minority, around 5 million people, and ha banned the public wearing of the full-face Islamic veil.
Muslim women and other critics of the backlash have pointed out that the freedom to choose to wear the hijab is a fundamental freedom, and that the removed of the campaign images contradicts its own messaging around the issue of freedom.