French mayor bans burkinis from beaches
The mayor of Cannes has banned full-body swimsuits -- also known as burkinis - from the beaches of the French Riviera resort city citing security reasons.
Mayor David Lisnard issued an ordinance in late July forbidding beachwear that doesn't respect "good morals and secularism."
It notes that swimwear "manifesting religious affiliation in an ostentatious way, while France and its religious sites are currently the target of terrorist attacks, could create risks of trouble to public order."
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Transgressors could face a fine of €38 (£33; $42).
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Lisnard calls the burkini "the uniform of extremist Islamism, not of the Muslim religion."
Other religious symbols, such as the kippah (Jewish skullcap) and the cross, would still be permitted, although the measure could apply to saris worn by Indian bathers, Lisnard confirmed in an interview published Friday in the newspaper Nice-Matin .
However, it will not apply to women wearing veils over their hair.
The measure follows a series of incidents in France, including the terror truck attack in Nice, near Cannes, and the killing of an elderly priest inside a Catholic church in Normandy.
Last week, the mayor of a town near Marseille cancelled plans to have a burkini party at an indoor pool at a local park, citing a risk to public order because swimmers were required to cover up from chest to knee.
France was the first country in Europe to forbid full face-covering Islamic veils, known as burkas, as well as the niqab, which covers part of the face.
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
