These Women Just Threw A Beach Party At A French Embassy To Protest The Burkini Ban
"Women have the right to WEAR WHATEVER THEY WANT."
This week we’ve seen the full effects of France’s ban of burkinis on beaches in certain municipalities and it’s left much of the world completely baffled. Some women have been racially abused by local crowds for defying the law. Others have abstained from going to the beach altogether. There have been documented cases of armed police ordering women to remove their clothing in front of family, friends and random onlookers.
Considering the arbitrary nature of the ban itself, it’s difficult to see any point of this kind of pain and humiliation beyond mere racial vilification.
How is this ok? It's 2016. Women should be able to wear whatever they want. #burkiniban pic.twitter.com/oDsKuVT5PU
— Tanya Burr (@TanyaBurr) August 24, 2016
Now, a group of women in London have taken these objections public with a very special protest outside their French Embassy. Asking people to “show solidarity with French Muslim women [and] call for the repeal of this oppressive law by the French Government”, they organised a beach party just a couple of blocks from Buckingham Palace. It had sand, beach umbrellas, lilos, toys and protest signs — but most importantly, it had a free and open dress code.
“Wear what you want — BURKINIS, BIKINIS, ANYTHING GOES,” the Facebook event read. “Women have the right to WEAR WHATEVER THEY WANT.”
NOW: #WearWhatYouWant beach outside French Embassy to say NO to controlling women's bodies #BurkiniBan pic.twitter.com/TSCBVCe7jf
— India Thorogood (@indiathorogood) August 25, 2016
Love the contrast #wearwhatyouwant pic.twitter.com/ZZkH2HZWSd
— Miri (@telmeri) August 25, 2016
Feeling much ❤️❤️❤️ for the sisterhood at this newly arrived French Embassy beach. #wearwhatyouwant ☀️☀️☀️?????? pic.twitter.com/jKdEISybD2
— marie nixon (@mariemarie0) August 25, 2016
Unfortunately the protest only lasted about an hour as the embassy threatened the women with criminal damages. They had to shovel the sand back into sacks and take their party elsewhere. However another event has already been organised for next week in the same spot.
“Bring your Burkini, hijab or full swimsuit and join our protest to show solidarity!” the new event description reads. “We must fight for freedom and protest against such repressive attitudes towards muslim women and women in general!”
Many notable figures in the UK have made no secret of their opposition to the new laws in France. Yesterday London mayor Sadiq Khan told The Evening Standard, “I don’t think anyone should tell women what they can and can’t wear. Full stop. It’s as simple as that.”
This is not a view that French Prime Minister Manuel Valls has been swayed by. This morning he reaffirmed his stance that the burkini is a symbol of the “enslavement of women” and criticised a member of his cabinet who had spoken out against the law. Though he hasn’t made any moves for a nation ban, he’s supported the local governments in their current action.
Meanwhile, in much better news, the Australian creator of the burkini says this whole mess has driven sales of her product up by more than 200 percent. “I wanted my girls to grow up to have [total] freedom of choice,” she told the BBC, explaining her initial inspiration for the design. “No man in this entire world can tell us what to wear or what not to wear.”
The lottery of indecency – En anglais, merci @bitofkit pour la traduction ! pic.twitter.com/y1fYq5rGh5
— La sauvage jaune (@LaSauvageJaune) August 22, 2016
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Feature image via Aina Khan/Twitter.