Last week a French high court officially struck down a burkini ban in Villeneuve-Loubet, a Mediterranean beach resort, in effect invalidating others similar, many bans are still being enforced.
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Cannes mayor David Lisnard, said earlier this month the ban was being introduced in the town to prohibit “beachwear ostentatiously showing a religious affiliation while France and places of religious significance are the target of terror attacks”.
A SMALL town French mayor has revealed he will ignore a court decision declaring the burkini ban illegal despite backlash over the controversial prohibition.
But French premier Manuel Valls says the debate isn’t over and ripped into the Burkini ban critics.
Cannes was the first in a series of Riviera towns to ban the full-body swimsuits, worn by some Muslim women, on its beaches.
A woman wearing a headscarf joins a demonstration organised by “Stand up to Racism” outside the French Embassy in London on August 26, 2016 against the Burkini ban on French beaches.
Local mayors have cited security concerns amongst a variety of reasons for the bans.
The Council of State ruled: “The emotion and concerns arising from the terrorist attacks, notably the one perpetrated in Nice on July 14, can not suffice to justify in law the contested prohibition measure”.
“It is a decision that is meant to set legal precedent”, Mr Spinosi said.
France’s government sought Monday to open a new chapter in relations with the country’s Muslims following a summer scarred by terrorist attacks and a ban on burkinis that caused tensions.
Ms Vallaud-Belkacem, a feminist with North African roots, argued that while she does not like the burkini, banning the garment amounted to a politically driven act that encouraged racism.
Mr Luca denounced “rampant Islamisation” in the country and said: “They’ve gained a small additional step”.
“These decrees do not improve the security situation but rather fuel religious intolerance and the stigmatization of Muslims in France, especially women”, Colville said.
The U.N. rights office called on all local authorities in France that have banned burkinis to “repeal them immediately”.
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“Clearly, individuals wearing burkinis, or any other form of clothing for that matter, can not be blamed for the violent or hostile reactions of others”, he said.
