The French Human Rights League has labelled the ban an “abuse of law” and said politicians needed to calm their “discriminatory fervour and defend the spirit of the republic”. “It is the expression of a political project hostile to society and founded notably on women’s oppression”, he added.
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Local mayors cite multiple reasons for their burkini bans, including the difficulty of rescuing bathers wearing a large amount of clothing.
Bottom line: For some, the ban on burkinis is an appropriate response to Islamic extremism and the subjugation of women associated with Islamic extremism; while for others, the bans are counterproductive measures that violate the rights of women, and only further victimizes and stigmatizes Muslims living in France.
The ban in Corsica follows clashes at the beachside town of Sisco over the weekend.
‘That is not compatible with the values of France, ‘ Valls said.
Last week, the mayor of Cannes in the south of France announced a ban on the wearing of full-body swimsuits on beaches. “I do not think we should legislate on the matter: the general regulation of dress requirements cannot be a solution”, he said.
Two more towns which are planning to join the ban are located in the Nord-Pas-De-Calais department.
The new ban in the Corsican village of Sisco comes after a massive brawl on Saturday between locals and families of North African origin.
The ban in Cannes came into force after an alleged supporter of the Islamic State group drove a lorry into crowds of people in Nice, killing 85 people on Bastille Day on 14 July.
“I therefore support those who have passed (burkini) decrees if they are impelled by the will to encourage people to live together and not by ulterior political motives”.
Six of the women were able to leave the beach after being cautioned, while four of them were fined 38 euros ($43), a Cannes townhall spokeswoman told Reuters.
The former president Nicolas Sarkozy banned the niqab or full-face veil in all public spaces in 2011 as part of a law against anyone covering their face in public.
More than 230 people have been killed in France in the past 20 months by extremists, and authorities are struggling to protect the country’s Muslims from racist backlash while allaying fears over extremism. There has been no confirmation from police or the local prosecutor’s office as to whether anyone on the beach was wearing a burkini at the time of the incident.
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Villeneuve-Loubet mayor Lionnel Luca, member of the hardline Droite Populaire faction of the conservative Les Republicains party, said the burkini was an ideological provocation.
