Maryam Pougetoux

Maryam Pougetoux (born 1999 ) is a French activist and student union leader. Pougetoux is a current Vice-President of Unef, the National Union of Students of France. Pougetoux was previously the president of the UNEF section of the Sorbonne.

A French Muslim who wears a hijab in public, Pougetoux rose to prominence after a 2018 televised interview while serving as Sorbonne's UNEF president.

Pougetoux' choice to wear a hijab was severely criticized by many members of France's establishment, including the incumbent Interior Minister, Gérard Collomb. The ensuing controversy was seen as a continuation of the long-standing Islamic headscarf controversy in France, including a 2004 ban on the wearing of the hijab in schools and by public servants. In fall 2020, when she testified before the French National Assembly on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students while wearing a hijab, four parliamentarians protested by leaving the meeting.