The French High Court Has Overturned The Burkini Ban, But Towns Remain Defiant

France’s top court has suspended the restriction on burkinis in the town of Villeneuve-Loubet, after finding that it “seriously impinged on the principle of equality.” However mayors in neighbouring towns have vowed to uphold their own bans, as the issue continues to divide French society and make headlines around the world.

The decision came after civil rights groups lodged a complaint in the Conseil d’Etat, the country’s highest administrative court. In its ruling, which unfortunately only applies to Villeneuve-Loubet and not the dozens of other French towns that have implemented the discriminatory law, the court said that the ban contravened “freedom of expression, freedom of conscience and freedom of movement and was manifestly illegal.”

“The justices have decided we can’t just let a mayor on his own decide what clothes are allowed,” a lawyer for the complainants told reporters after the verdict was handed down. “There’s no justification for this law.”

While the decision sets a precedent for future appeals, administrators in other towns including Nice and Sisco have promised to continue fining women who defy bans on the full body swimsuit.

Dep mayor of Nice defends burkini ban on basis of extremism. Mate, if you've got armed police ordering women to strip, you're the extremist.

— Ian Dunt (@IanDunt) August 25, 2016

The bans have the backing of prominent French politicians including Prime Minister Manuel Valls, but have been condemned by human rights advocates on the grounds that they restrict personal freedom, unfairly target Muslims, and that telling women what they can and cannot wear is just a supremely shitty thing to do.

Protestors recently gathered outside the French embassy in London, asking people to “show solidarity with French Muslim women [and] call for the repeal of this oppressive law by the French Government.”

A spokesperson for Amnesty International said the court’s ruling “has drawn an important line in the sand” and that “French authorities must now drop the pretence that these measures do anything to protect the rights of women.”

–

h/t The Age.

Feature image via India Thorogood/Twitter