“In the state of emergency context and recent Islamist attacks in particular in Nice there is one month (…) wearing a distinctive dress, other than a usual swimwear can in fact be interpreted as not being, in this context, a simple sign of religiosity, “added the judge”.
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The mayor, David Lisnard, said in an interview with the newspaper Nice-Matin that the decree was intended as a protective measure and that he was not banning “the veil, the kippa, or the cross” on city beaches.
The Cannes beach ban is just the latest of many French measures seen as singling out Islam, the country’s second larrgest religion, in the name of official secularism.
Two French resort towns are prohibiting women from wearing “burkinis” on public beaches. The town’s mayor told AFP that he made the decision to bar the burkini worn by some Muslim women because of sanitary reasons.
He said the ruling intended “to avoid any disturbance to public order in the region which was hit by attacks”.
The ban has elicited protests by French Muslims who say it is discriminatory. “Beachwear which ostentatiously displays religious affiliation, when France and places of worship are now the target of terrorist attacks, is liable to create risks of disrupting public order”.
Mr Ravier was responding to a waterpark in nearby Marseille cancelling plans for a “burkini party” in September. France already has a ban on the burka and the nijab in public places, but this goes far beyond the usual arguments of secularism and feminism.
The announcement of the ban was met with opposition from Islamic groups and human rights activists. But there is no ban on wearing religious symbols or clothing.
France had also initially tried to ban burqas in 2011, but the law was dismissed in 2014 due to a trial where a woman claimed it was a threat to religious freedom.
French officials have defended the laws, which are meant to “preserve secular values and protect women from religious oppression”.
France, which has the first Muslim community in Europe, was struck 18 months ago by several jihadist attacks, which sparked renewed tensions against Muslims. But critics say they’ve deepened the religious divide, and Islamic State extremists say the laws are justification for attacking France.
Three women backed by the Collective Against Islamophobia in France (CCIF) challenged the Cannes decision in court on Friday, saying it was illegal and calling for it to be suspended.
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“Must we remind this mayor that about 30 of the victims of the attack in Nice were Muslims, because terrorism targets us all indiscriminately?” the statement said.
