On July 1, the full body suit was banned in Hainfeld, Austria.
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Meanwhile, at Villeneuve-Loubet, the town’s mayor, Mr Lionnel Luca, said he made the decision to bar the burkini because of sanitary reasons. “I considered that unacceptable for hygienic reasons and that, in general, it was unwelcome”.
Lisnard said, anyone wearing improper clothes that are not respectful of good morals and secularism would be banned from accessing beaches.
“A beach outfit showing in an ostentatious manner a religious affiliation, given that France and religious places are now the target of terrorist acts, has the nature of creating risks of troubles of public order (mobs, conflicts, etc.) that are necessary to be prevented”, said the new law. The ban will be in place to the end of August.
Is this the uniform of an Islamic extremist?
Offenders risk a fine of €38 (S$57).
It was the latest decision by French authorities taken in the name of laicité – the French term for separation of church and state – that targets the Muslim attire that has become a regular point of contention in discussions about religion and integration in France. In schools, I can respect secularism.
The Human Rights League also warned such measures risked alienating the Islamic community in France. The left-wing mayor, Michel Amiel, said the event would be divisive and “a provocation”.
France also banned the burka and the niqab back in 2011. Since it announced its burkini day on Facebook earlier this month, Smile 13 has received bullets through the mail.
Under French laws, face-covering veils are already banned in public.
The Socialist Party, who are in opposition to the right Republicans who control Cannes, said the burkini ban is an attempt to grab headlines and “play into the hands of religious fundamentalists”, media reports. But critics say they’ve deepened the religious divide, and Islamic State extremists say the laws are justification for attacking France.
The ruling upholding the ban on so-called burkinis fell as the newspaper Nice Matin revealed that another Riviera town, Villeneuve-Loubet, had issued a similar ban.
France is now struggling to balance its cherished secular values with its multicultural society following a wave of deadly terrorist attacks claimed by the so-called Islamic State group.
“The ban is illegal, discriminatory and unconstitutional”, said Sefen Guez lawyer for the Collective Against Islamophobia in France in statements to BBC news.
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France has seen an uptick in violent attacks, including the truck incident in Nice that killed 84 and the murder of a priest, which ISIS claimed responsibility for.
