Austria’s ban on headscarves for girls under 14 in schools took effect Monday, the first day of the school year in part of the country, as Muslim citizens vowed to challenge the law, a version of which was struck down in court in 2020.

The government-backed legislation stipulates a school must hold discussions with any pupil defying the ban, after which a fine of between €150 and €800 ($175-$930) can be imposed.

Two sisters and their mother already filed suit against the new ban in Austria’s Constitutional Court on Monday, the Austrian Press Agency reported. The Islamic Religious Community in Austria (IGGO), the community’s official representative, has also pledged to fight the ban in court, arguing the law infringes on fundamental rights.

Left-wing pupils’ organizations have called for protests against the ban, and local media in Vienna reported that a small group of students, including girls in headscarves, demonstrated outside the Austrian Chancellery on Sunday, and accused the ban’s advocates of racism.

On Monday, students returned to school in three of Austria’s nine states — Vienna, the surrounding state of Lower Austria, and Burgenland, all in the east — with........

© The Times of Israel