2016/15:Should some French cities have banned the burkini?
Introduction to the media issue
Video clip at right:On August 25, 2016, NBC ran a report on the burkini ban in France. It features vision of a Muslim woman on the beach in Nice being forced to remove some of her clothing. If you cannot see this clip, it will be because video is blocked by your network. To view the clip, access from home or from a public library, or from another network which allows viewing of video clips.
What they said...
'There are no burkinis on the beach (here) and we are making sure it stays that way. The beach is a place to relax, not a space for ideological or religious confrontation'
Gil Bernardi, the mayor of Le Lavandou
'Invasive and discriminatory measures such as these restrict women's choices and are an assault on their freedoms of expression, religion and right to non-discrimination'
John Dalhuisen , Amnesty International Europe Director
The issue at a glance
On September 6, 2016, a Corsican court ruled in favour of a ban on burkinis previously placed by the village of Sisco on Corsica. (Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula and southeast of the French mainland.)
On September 1, 2016, a court in Nice, France, suspended the operation of French bans on the burkini. This suspension followed a similar ruling of the State Council on August 26, 2016, that overturned the burkini ban imposed by French commune Villeneuve-Loubet.
The bans had begun on August 12, 2016, when the first was imposed by the city of Cannes.
The public safety concerns that prompted these bans have seen them imposed in some 30 French towns and cities. Despite the judicial rulings against them, those cities which have imposed bans are still keen for them to continue.