Schaerbeek has reacted with anger and disbelief to the exclusion of two young girls from a high school graduation ceremony, who were not allowed to receive their diplomas while wearing headscarves.
Last Thursday, two students at Emile Max High School in Schaerbeek were prohibited from going on stage with headscarves to receive their diplomas during a graduation ceremony.
The municipality of Schaerbeek says this was due to the school's internal regulations, which prohibit religious symbols during school hours.
The school's refusal to award the two girls their diplomas during the ceremony provoked uproar among the local population.
Footage filmed by a witness shows a large part of the audience applauding warmly for the two students who were forced to remain at the back of the room.
'What happened was wrong'
One of them, Hamile, described the difficult situation.
"For the first time in my life, I felt the humiliation of 'I'm not like you'. I have to stand at the back of the room on the day of my graduation," she told RTBF.
"The rules must be followed, but it is unacceptable for students to feel excluded from such a symbolic moment," said Schaerbeek education councillor Thomas Eraly (Ecolo-Groen).
The Socialist Party's local branch said it was deeply shocked by the incident and believes that the rules should not have been applied.
"Hiding behind internal rules to justify such treatment amounts to validating a zealous and stigmatising interpretation of the rules. What happened was wrong," it said in a statement that called on the school and the municipality to apologise.
