Paris Nurse Suspended Eight Months After Refusing to Remove Head Covering
Paris, February 1, 2026 – The Assistance publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP) announced on Saturday, January 31, 2026, that it has modified the sanction against a nurse who refused to remove her head covering, following a court decision earlier this month that deemed her initial dismissal “disproportionate.” The nurse, Majdouline B., has now been suspended for eight months.
Majdouline B., an AP-HP nurse since 2018 at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris, was initially dismissed on November 10, 2025. The hospital management accused her of systematically wearing a surgical cap – a fabric protective head covering typically worn in operating rooms or intensive care units – at all times, and refusing to remove it.
Court Deems Initial Dismissal “Disproportionate”
According to a spokesperson for the AP-HP, the initial summary judgment recognized the fault but considered the sanction disproportionate. Blandine Chauvel, a staff representative for Sud Santé, confirmed that Majdouline B. received a letter “at the beginning of the week” informing her of the eight-month suspension for her repeated wearing of a head covering at work and her refusal to remove it.
Me Lionel Crusoé, Majdouline B.’s lawyer, expressed his disappointment, stating, “The summary judge had ordered the reinstatement of my client, but the AP-HP never did so and instead issued a new exclusion.”
The nurse’s lawyer also stated that his client has never claimed religious affiliation, simply indicating that wearing the head covering was a matter of “her private life.” The administrative court of Paris, seized by the nurse in a summary proceeding, had suspended the revocation decision in early January, pending a thorough review, and ordered her reinstatement “within one month.”
“Lack of Proportion” Between Fault and Sanction
In its order, the summary judge acknowledged that the nurse had indeed “committed a fault likely to justify a disciplinary sanction,” but also considered that there might be a “lack of proportion” between the fault committed and the sanction imposed. Following this decision, the AP-HP stated that it would “take note” and announced that it would adapt “its sanction decision to ensure its proportionality to the observed fault.”
In December 2025, the Paris Hospitals faced intense criticism from the French Council of Muslim Worship (CFCM), the official representative of Muslims to the French state. This criticism came after the dismissal of several Muslim employees, “or those presumed to be so,” “due to the wearing of a hairnet, assimilated by their hierarchical authority as a ‘religious sign by destination’.” The AP-HP then asserted that it was simply applying the principle of secularism.
The Defender of Rights was subsequently seized of the matter, indicating the broader implications and ongoing debate surrounding religious symbols in public service in France.
This case highlights the complexities of balancing institutional regulations, employee rights, and interpretations of secularism within French public institutions. The eight-month suspension is a revised disciplinary action that seeks to align with the court’s finding of disproportionality in the initial dismissal, while still addressing the hospital’s policy on workplace attire.
The AP-HP’s decision to modify the sanction underscores the legal and social pressures surrounding such cases, particularly in a context where similar incidents have drawn significant public and institutional attention. The outcome of this case, and any further legal challenges, will likely contribute to the ongoing discourse on secularism and individual freedoms within French public health services.
