BBC: A court on the French island of Corsica has upheld a local ban on the burkini – the full-body swimwear preferred by some Muslim women.
The court in Bastia ruled that the ban was legal on public order grounds.
Last month, a beach brawl between families of North African descent and local youths left five people injured.
France’s top administrative court ruled in August that the ban, imposed in a number of towns across the country, violated basic freedoms.
However, it also found that the measure was permissible if wearing the burkini was likely to cause a public disturbance.
‘Relief’
On Tuesday, the Bastia court dismissed a challenge to the ban from France’s Human Rights League organisation.
The court ruled that the ban should be maintained because “strong emotions persist” on the Mediterranean island.
The measure was imposed by the village mayor in Sisco, where the mass brawl took place in August.
Mayor Ange-Pierre Vivoni said the verdict was “a relief for me and local people”.
Mr Vivoni added that he had acted because he “risked having deaths on my hands”.
Witnesses said that hatchets and harpoons were used in the Sisco beach disturbance.
Tension has grown in recent months between local communities and Muslims of North African origin in the south of France, following the massacre of 85 people by a lorry driver on the seafront at Nice on 14 July, an attack claimed by so-called Islamic State.
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 do not cover the face
- 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
What does French law say 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
