Former French president Nicholas Sarkozy said on Monday he would change the country’s constitution to ban full-body burkini swimsuits if he is re-elected to his former role in a vote next April.
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But human rights groups said they are preparing to sue towns whose mayors insist on keeping the bans.
Rightwing figures are pushing for a nationwide ban to be written into law, led by former president Nicolas Sarkozy, who this week launched his bid to regain the presidency in next year’s election.
In an interview to French news paper Le Croix, Cazaneuve said, “As the prime minister has said, the government refuses to legislate on the matter because any such law would be unconstitutional, ineffective and likely to create antagonism and irreparable tension”.
“I think we’re going to progress here in the next few weeks to build. new institutions and new relationships between French Muslims and the government”, Cazeneuve told the Associated Press.
Although clearly playing to prejudice fanned by the far right against Muslims, Sarkozy’s ostensible objective, supported by all too many on the left, is the defence of France’s much-vaunted, totemic tradition of laicité, rigorous, enforced secularism. However, “tolerance” is needed on both sides, he added, saying that “Muslims must continue to engage with us on gender equality”.
He also chastised the opposition for trying to stoke tensions at a time when France is hit by a series of deadly attacks claimed by Islamic State (Isis) militants.
“Certain opposition leaders are making a lot of noise”.
With over 60 percent of the French population in favour of the ban, it isn’t hard to see why mayors of the coastal towns where the law was enforced would found it beneficial to keep the ban in place.
The national identity crisis exposed by France’s burkini controversy is threatening to set the tone for the country’s presidential campaign.
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“France needs healing and people coming together, not divisive outbursts by those contesting in primaries”, Cazeneuve said.
