Since 2024, Apolline, the former secretary of the Villeurbanne (69) Asylum Seekers Accommodation Center, has been challenging the Forum Refugees association over her dismissal, which she claims was discriminatory due to her wearing a headscarf. She was fired in February 2024 and initially lost her appeal in the labor court in May 2026. Despite the setback, she continues to fight, with her lawyer, Tammouz Al Douri, stating that the next step is the Court of Appeal, which will review the case with more legal scrutiny. Apolline, now 26, is from Lyon and has spoken publicly about the incident, highlighting the irony of facing Islamophobia in an organization that claims to fight discrimination. Apolline was hired in 2021 for a temporary position at the Cada of Villeurbanne, a facility managed by the Forum Refugees association. The association, founded in the 1980s in Lyon, claims to manage several centers across France and is known for its values of human rights and equality. Apolline was drawn to the work because she felt she was helping people, not making money. She was offered a permanent position in 2022, but the process was delayed after the association's former director reportedly expressed concerns about her headscarf. Despite this, she was eventually hired, but tensions continued to simmer as new internal rules were introduced in 2023 that restricted visible religious expressions. The new regulation, introduced in October 2023, required employees in contact with asylum seekers to avoid displaying any visible signs of political, philosophical, or religious beliefs. Apolline was asked to remove her headscarf shortly after the rule was implemented. She was met with resistance from management, who claimed that the headscarf could retraumatize asylum seekers who had experienced religious persecution. However, Apolline argued that she had built trust with the people she helped and that the policy unfairly targeted her. She also pointed out that the association had not provided any evidence of complaints from asylum seekers about her headscarf. After months of negotiations and attempts to comply with the new rules, Apolline was offered a different role at the association’s headquarters, away from the public. She declined, citing a lack of experience and interest in the position. Her refusal was deemed insubordination, leading to her dismissal in February 2024. Despite the loss, Apolline remains determined to challenge the association’s policies, supported by former colleagues and asylum seekers who praised her work. She now works in another social center, where she continues to wear her headscarf, showing that her fight is not over.