The Council of State ruled Friday that a ban imposed in the town of Villeneuve-Loubet “seriously and clearly illegally breached fundamental freedoms to come and go, freedom of beliefs and individual freedom”.
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Now this ban has been overturned by France’s highest administrative court on Friday prompting a Right-wing backlash as mayors vowed to defy the ruling.
The original ban was challenged by the Human Rights League (LDH) and Collective Against Islamophobia in France (CCIF), that took the case to the State Council.
And much like the recent burkini bans, opinion in the country is divided between those who see the laws as an infringement on religious freedom, and those who view the Islamic dress as inconsistent with France’s rigorously enforced secularism.
While the socialist government minister has been opposing the burkini ban, other political figures in France have expressed their support towards the Muslim swimwear restrictions.
“However, Muslims must continue to engage with us over gender equality, the inviolate nature of the principles of the French Republic, and tolerance in order to live together in peace”, he said.
Speaking to French daily La Croix, Cazeneuve reiterated the government’s opposition to legislating on the controversial matter which has sparked fierce debate both at home and overseas about women’s rights and France’s strictly-guarded secularism. Vallaud-Belkacem, a feminist with North African roots, argued that while she doesn’t like the burkini swimsuit, banning the garment amounted to a politically driven act that encouraged racism.
But Cazeneuve ruled out a nationwide burkini ban.
“There’s a lot of tension here and I won’t withdraw my decree”, Sisco mayor Ange-Pierre Vivoni told BFM TV, saying that in his Corsica town the ban would be justified on security grounds.
The debate was fueled by footage of police trying to enforce the ban on a woman on the beach in Nice.
“French authorities must now drop the pretense that these measures do anything to protect the rights of women”, said John Dalhuisen, European director for Amnesty International.
Valls defended the burkini ban on Thursday while some ministers criticized it, exposing divisions within the government as campaigning begins.
Far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen said the battle is not over.
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The French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) praised the court’s decision as a “victory for common sense”.
