STAINS, France 

A demonstration was held Wednesday in France against the government's abaya ban in schools. 

A group of teachers and staff at the Maurice-Utrillo High School in Stains organized a strike and demonstration against the ban. Students and parents joined the demonstration in front of the school.

The staff read a statement that said the French school system is among the most unequal among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries.

It noted that instead of tackling inequality the government has turned to banning the abaya and the men's robe called kamis.

Myriam, a member of the Abayama Do Not Touch Community, told Anadolu the abaya ban "persecutes" Muslim girls and violates freedoms and is discriminatory and Islamophobic. "Today Muslim girls are asked to be invisible and are treated as second-class citizens," she said.

French Education Minister Gabriel Attal last week announced that students wearing the traditional overgarments will not be able to attend classes when the new school year begins Monday.

The controversial move sparked backlash toward the government which has been criticized for targeting Muslims with statements and policies in recent years, including raids on mosques and charitable foundations, and an "anti-separatism" law that slaps wide-ranging restrictions on the community.