Paris, Jan. 31 (Reuters): A Paris boulevard became a sea of coloured turbans today as Sikhs from across Europe marched to defend their traditional headgear against a looming French ban on religious symbols in state schools.

Waving French flags and chanting “live and let live”, about 3,000 Sikhs turned out to call for turbans to be exempted from the ban due to outlaw symbols such as Muslim headscarves, Jewish skullcaps and large Christian crosses in the strictly secular public schools.

The National Assembly begins debating the ban on Tuesday but the draft text of the law, which outlaws “conspicuous signs” of faith, could be read to include turbans.

Sikhs, of whom about 5,000 live in the Paris region, say turbans and the light scarves that women wear are not religious but practical items. “My great-grandfather fought to save France in the First World War,” said Simran Singh, 14, who wore his ancestor’s campaign medals around his neck and carried a poster showing Sikhs with the British army in France in both world wars. Waving a French flag, Tirath Singh, seven, said he had no problem wearing his neat blue turban in school but added: “I live in Germany, it’s different there.” Sikhs came from Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, the US and Canada to take part in the march.