The state council ruled that the mayor did not have the right to issue a burkini ban – stating that local authorities could only restrict individual liberties if there was a “proven risk” to public order. The mayor of Villeneuve-Loubet said he would fight the ruling.
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“This judgment does not affect us here because we had a fight over it [the burkini]”, said Ange-Pierre Vivoni, referring to a brawl on a beach in Sisco on Aug 13 which preceded the ban.
An ally of Mr Sarkozy, Guillaume Larrive, said: “We support 100 per cent the mayors who introduced bans”.
Opinions polls suggested most French people backed the bans, which town mayors said were protecting public order and secularism.
Far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen said the battle is not over. The Socialist prime minister, Manuel Valls, has described the burkini as a “symbol of the enslavement of women” unacceptable under France’s secular constitution.
What the Ruling says given by French Top Administrative Court?
Anger over the issue was further inflamed this week when photographs in the British media showed police surrounding a woman in a headscarf on a beach in Nice.
Mayors had cited multiple reasons for the bans, including security after a string of Islamic extremist attacks, risk to public order, and France’s strict rules on secularism in public life.
The ban – which is now in place in 15 towns in France – was issued following the Bastille Day attack in Nice and the murder of a priest in Normandy.
Other mayors are also looking to defy the high court’s decision.
“These bans do nothing to increase public safety, but do a lot to promote public humiliation”.
It’s been a whirlwind of a summer for the burkini, the full-body swimsuit worn by some Muslim women who prefer to cover up when they visit beaches or pools. Critics of the bans have pointed to the move to outlaw Muslim women’s beach garb as direct backlash for the attacks, while officials defended it by saying it is a political statement that aligns women wearing it with Islamism, and could thus cause public disturbances.
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Terrorism analysts warned that the bans were feeding jihadist propaganda and could help Isil recruit new members. The decision will affect the 30 French towns that have enforced the ban, leading to much outrage over the course of the past week.
