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French Bank Apologises For
Refusing Entry To Turbaned Sikh
WSN Bureau
 Paris:
A major French bank in Paris, which last month refused entry to a
young Sikh customer because he wore a turban, has apologised for its
“manifestly excessive and improper security instructions.”
Ranjit Singh,
22, a business entrepreneur and a Sikh customer of the BNP Paribas
Bank, arrived on 8th October 2009 at the BNP branch at 168, rue de
Belleville, 75019 Paris to carry out a routine inquiry of his bank
account. However, he was stopped at the security door by an employee
of the bank who gestured to him to remove his turban to enter the
bank. Ranjit Singh explained to the employee that the turban is worn
as an act of faith and that he wears it all the time. Despite his
explanations, the employee called another colleague who repeated the
same demand. Still blocked at the security door, Ranjit Singh
repeated that he is a client and that he simply wishes to verify his
account. After about twenty minutes, without success, Ranjit Singh
left feeling humiliated and threatened by the bank’s discriminatory
attitude.
Ranjit Singh
contacted the United Sikhs which wrote to BNP Paribas to ask for an
explanation for their discriminatory conduct of refusing entry to a
turbaned Sikh.
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“I’m
sorry... Also, please kindly accept my apology on behalf of the
bank for the unpleasant feelings which could have been felt on
that occasion.....the manifestly excessive and improper
application of security instructions led to a situation I
strongly regret.” -- Valerie Manscour, BNP Head of Customer
Relations. |
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Shingara Singh,
a director of United Sikhs in
France
said that it was pointed out to them that, in 2005, HALDE, the
Independent High Commission for Equality and Against Discrimination,
had held, in a case involving Raghbir Singh, that the Banque de
France had unlawfully discriminated against him when they refused
him entry for wearing a turban.
The HALDE had
held: “In this case refusing the benefit of a legally-granted right
on the grounds of physical appearance or affiliation or non
affiliation, actual or assumed with a ethnic group, nation, “race”
or specific religion, is a discrimination.” The HALDE had also
recognized that the refusal of entry was disproportionate because
the Sikh turban does not hinder identification.
Valerie
Manscour, BNP Head of Customer Relations, wrote to the forum on
October 22 and said, “I’m sorry about the events that you describe.
Also, please kindly accept my apology on behalf of the bank for the
unpleasant feelings which could have been felt on that occasion.”
She also indicated that “the manifestly excessive and improper
application of security instructions led to a situation I strongly
regret.”
Ranjit Singh
commented on the experience: "Being born and raised in France I did
not understand why they treated me in this way. I never thought I
would be discriminated because of my religion. This incident will
always be on my mind every time I enter a public building. I
continue to feel both angry and sad that I was humiliated in
public.”
18
November 2009
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