Prohibition to wear burkini: French police make Muslim females get undressed at beaches

The French police began to fulfill requirements on prohibition to wear a Muslim bathing suit – burkini – at beaches. Mass media reported about two cases when the policemen demanded that two women take off their clothes and pay the fine for wearing inappropriate clothes. It is reported by Meduza.

Australian designer, creator of bathing suit for Muslims Aheda Zanetti compared French authorities with “Taliban”. According to her, burkini gave freedom to women, while French politicians are taking away this freedom.  

According to mass media, French policemen fined another woman, pointing to her that her outfit did not match an “appropriate behavior and secularism principles.” The incident occurred in Cannes and the woman had no idea of the prohibition that had recently entered into force. “I was sitting on the beach with my family. I was wearin an ordinary scarf. And I wasn’t going to bathe,” told the woman named Siam. The Policemen, who urged her to take off her clothes in the presence of her children, she called “racists”. Another beach visitor, who was watching this scene, told that the people around were crying to the woman “go home” and applauding the policemen.    

An idea to settle fines was suggested by Algerian entrepreneur and human rights defender Rashid Nekkaz. “I decided to pay all fines of the burkini-wearing women to ensure freedom for them to wear this, and first and foremost – to neutralize application of this repressive and unfair law,” he said.

It will be reminded, burkini was forbidden in several cities of France in the middle of August 2016. Prime Minister Manuel Valls explained such decision with the fact that beaches, like any other public places, “must be religion-free”. The burkini prohibition has already entered into force – even despite the NGO “Human Rights League” having challenged it in the supreme administrative court of the county (the court will consider the suit on August 25). There have appeared photos on the Internet, which feature armed police officers on the Nice beach forcing a woman to take off her scarf, tunic, and leggings.

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