People of Algerian origin account for a large sector of the total population in France. In spite of France's colonial rule in Algeria, many Algerians chose to immigrate to France from the 1960s to the present due to political turmoil. Tensions between the countries endure today. A recent attempt to improve the situation was the banning of the Burqa and the Hijab in schools by Jacques Chirac. Nicolas Sarkozy furthered his support of the outlawing of conspicuous religious symbols by making open statements against burqas, a "sign of subservience of women".