PARIS–The French lower house of parliament on Thursday approved a law banning discrimination based on a person’s accent, calling the practice “a form of racism.”
The text, overwhelmingly adopted by 98 votes to 3, adds accents to the list of causes of actionable discrimination, along with racism, sexism and discrimination against the disabled.
The maximum penalty proposed in the new legislation is three years’ imprisonment and a fine of 45,000 euros.
The law, proposed by centre-right deputy Christophe Euzet, was the subject of animated debate in the house, despite the overwhelming vote.
“At a time when the ‘visible’ minorities benefit from the legitimate attention of public a…
Keep on reading: Law pushes back against racism based on accent