Two children ordered back to France in mask dispute

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Two children were ordered returned to France by the Court of Appeal in an international child abduction case, reported on 4 May 2021. Their Irish-based father had refused to return them after objecting to mandatory face coverings in French schools.

The children were born in France and normally lived there, while the High Court had found they were wrongfully detained and ordered their return under the Hague Convention. The Court of Appeal dismissed their father’s appeal, finding the evidence did not establish a grave risk of harm from school mask requirements. The children and their parents were not named.