The resort of Cannes in the south of France has banned full-body swimsuits favored by Muslim bathers (known as “burkinis”) from its beaches, citing public order concerns, just a few days after a burkini-only event in neighboring Marseilles was called out on similar grounds.
Local mayor David Lisnard issued an ordinance in July forbidding beachwear that desecrated “good morals and secularism.” He noted that burkinis “signified religious affiliation in an ostentatious way,” which might spark unrest as France continues to be the target of Islamist terrorist attacks.
The ban comes at the height of the resort’s vacation season, while tensions are still running high after a series of deadly attacks, including in nearby Nice and in a Catholic church in the northern part of the country.
Anyone caught wearing a a full-body swimsuit will be asked to leave the beach, change clothing or else risk a fine of €38 ($42), the BBC reports.
David Lisnard confirmed to local media that the ban would not extend to other religious symbols like the Jewish skullcap, arguing the burkini was “a uniform” that symbolized “Islamic extremism” and risked disturbing public order.
The burkini beach ban is the latest in a long line of expeditious and contentious measures targeting Muslim practices in the name of French secular values.
Earlier this week, for instance, a private waterpark cancelled a “burkini-only” event following scathing reactions from local residents and far-right politicians who claimed it ran against French secular values by privileging one minority group.
France has some of the world’s harshest rules on women’s religious attire: In 2004, it passed a law forbidding “ostentatious” religious symbols in schools — including the Muslim headscarf, large crosses and the Jewish skullcap — closely followed by a controversial “burqa ban” in 2011, which outlawed full face-covering apparel in public.
The “burkini,” however, which closely resembles a surfer’s wetsuit and only covers the body without hiding the face, is technically completely legal.
Both the Collective Against Islamophobia and the local chapter of the League of Human Rights (LDH) said they would challenge the ban in court.
“What next? The morals police, like in Mullah country?” leader Herve Latisse told Nice Matin. “This is an abuse of rights […] It is time for politicians in this region to calm their discriminatory ardor and defend the spirit of the Republic,” he added.
