Faced with criticism, Le Pen allies tone down rhetoric on proposed hijab ban

FILE PHOTO: Marine Le Pen, French far-right National Rally (Rassemblement National) party candidate for the 2022 French presidential election, speaks during a campaign meeting in Avignon, France, April 14, 2022. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann/File Photo

PARIS (Reuters) - A planned hijab ban if French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen is elected would come "little by little" and would be determined by lawmakers, her allies said on Monday of a move critics and allies alike said would be hard to implement.

The remarks, on one of the main issues of dispute in French politics in recent years, marked a shift in tone as the far-right core of Le Pen's programme comes under closer scrutiny less than a week ahead of the final presidential vote.