France and 'Burkini'
3 hours ago
From the section Europe
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| Image copyright Image caption .Patrice Spinosi spoke to journalists outside court |
Mayors of French towns who banned the controversial
"burkini" swimsuit have been warned they must heed a court ruling
suspending the action.
Human rights lawyer Patrice Spinosi said if any mayors did not
comply, he would take each case to court.
At least three mayors have said they will keep the bans on their
beaches.
On Friday the Council of State found the ban in one
town, Villeneuve-Loubet, "seriously and clearly illegally breached
fundamental freedoms".
The decision is expected to set a precedent for all the 30 or so
French resorts, chiefly along the Riviera, that issued similar bans.
Villeneuve-Loubet's mayor, Lionnel Luca, responding to the
ruling, said: "We need to decide if we want a smiley, friendly version of
sharia law on our beaches or if we want the rules of the [French] Republic to
be implemented."
Image copyright Image caption. The burkini leaves only the face, hands and feet exposed
The burkinis were not mentioned by name in the bans, with the
order simply saying beachwear must be respectful of good public manners and the
principle of secularism.
Authorities said they were concerned about the public order
implications of the religious clothing, especially after attacks in Nice and
Paris carried out by people influenced by Islamist extremism.
But while opinion polls suggested most French people backed the
bans, they ignited fierce debate in France and around the world, with Muslims
saying they were being unfairly targeted.
The controversy deepened when images circulated showing police on a beach
appearing to enforce the ban, and a woman removing an item of clothing.
The council of state will make a final decision on the ban's
legality at a later date.
'Still valid'
Mr Spinosi represents the Human Rights League (LDH) which, along
with the anti-Islamophobia association (CCIF), took Villeneuve-Loubet to the
highest administrative court in the land.
"It is a decision that is meant to set legal
precedent," Mr Spinosi said to reporters outside court. He said people who
had been fined could claim their money back.
Media captionSiam, 34, tells how she was recently fined by
police on the beach in Cannes for wearing leggings, a tunic and a headscarf
CCIF head Marwan Muhammad praised the ruling but said it
"cannot take back the harm which was caused",
However, town hall authorities in Nice and Frejus, as well as in
the Corsican village of Sisco, have vowed to keep the bans in place.
The far-right mayor of Frejus, David Rachline, told the AFP news
agency that his ban was "still valid" and there was "no legal
procedure" against it.
A spokesperson for Nice town hall said it would "continue
to fine" women wearing full Islamic coverings on the beach.
In the town of Sisco in Corsica, mayor Ange-Pierre Vivoni said
the ban would remain "for the safety of property and people in the
town".
Mr Sisco said it followed clashes this month between villagers and Muslim bathers.
French PM Manual Valls wrote on Facebook in support of the bans,
saying burkinis were "the affirmation of political Islam in the public
space".
What is a burkini?
§
A burkini is a full-body swimsuit that covers everything except
the face, hands and feet
§
The name is a mix of the words "burka" and
"bikini"
§
Unlike burkas, burkinis leave the face free
§
Burkinis are marketed to Muslim women as a way for them to swim
in public while adhering to strict modesty edicts
§
The French bans have referred to religious clothing and as they
were loosely phrased, came to be understood to include full-length clothing and
head coverings worn on the beach - not just burkini swimsuits
Why have the bans been imposed?
After a militant Islamist ploughed a lorry into families on the
seafront at Nice on 14 July, killing 86 people, the city's authorities said a
ban was "a necessity".
Local leaders have described their actions as appropriate and
proportionate.
But the bans are not just a response to a spate of deadly
jihadist attacks on French soil. France has long-standing laws on secularism,
and the Nice ban focused on "correct dress, respectful of accepted customs
and secularism, as well as rules of hygiene and of safety in public bathing
areas".
What French law says on
secularism and religious clothing
§
In 2010, France became the first European country to ban the
full-face veil in public
§
A 2004 law forbids the wearing of religious emblems in schools
and colleges
§
The 1905 constitution aims to separate Church and state. It
enshrines secularism in education but also guarantees the freedom of religion
and freedom to exercise it. The original text made no reference to clothing
Source: BBC News
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