Top French court to consider burkini ban Thursday
A ban on the Islamic burkini swimsuit by several French towns will come before France’s highest administrative court tomorrow, the tribunal says.
The Human Rights League is appealing a decision by a lower court in the Riviera city of Nice which upheld a ban on the outfit by the town of Villeneuve-Loubet.
Villeneuve-Loubet, just west of Nice, was among the first of some 15 French towns to ban the burkini, triggering a fierce debate in France and elsewhere about the wearing of the full-body swimsuit, women’s rights and secularity.
The Nice tribunal ruled on Monday that the ban in Villeneuve-Loubet was “necessary, appropriate and proportionate” to prevent public disorder after a succession of jihadists attacks in France, including one in Nice on July 14.
The ruling by the State Council, France’s highest administrative court, will provide a legal precedent for towns to follow around the country.
A mother of two tells AFP she had been fined on the beach in the resort of Cannes wearing leggings, a tunic and a headscarf.
Her ticket, seen by AFP, read that she was not wearing “an outfit respecting good morals and secularism.”
“I was sitting on a beach with my family. I was wearing a classic headscarf. I had no intention of swimming,” says the 34-year-old who gave only her first name, Siam.
— AFP
