French back new law to punish lack of respect for Republic icons, page 1

The bill, which will become law later this year, proposes a maximum penalty for "offending against the dignity of the Republic and its symbols" of six months in jail, with a fine of up to �6,000.

Other draconian measures in the bill include a two-month prison sentence for prostitutes guilty of "passive soliciting" (wearing a short skirt). Youths who block the stairwells of apartment blocks will be liable to two months in prison, and anyone swearing at a policeman could be fined up to �30,000 (�19,740) and jailed for two years.

The move to defend France's Republican symbols comes may have been triggered by the actions of Algerian fans who jeered the Marseillaise before a France-Algeria soccer match in Paris in 2001. Corsican supporters have been involved in similar incidents. The France-Algeria incident, which largely involved French youths of Algerian origin, infuriated President Jacques Chirac, who was shown on national television stalking out of the VIP box.

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