As of this past Monday, the wearing of any kind of face cover is illegal in public spaces in France. An officer of the forces de l’ordre is not allowed to take off the veil but can order the person to be brought to the nearest police station to have her (or his) identity verified. Under normal circumstances the fine is € 150, but if the veiled person is a minor, the fine is doubled.

I’m curious what will happen with this law. There aren’t many women in France who wear a burka–one estimate I saw was twelve of them–but there are some who wear niqabs, which allow only the eyes to show. I saw one yesterday at the Eurostar, along with a jolly-looking man and a teenage girl wearing an I ❤ London t-shirt. They didn’t look French, but this law applies to tourists too.
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