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France’s highest administrative court has upheld a nationwide ruling banning the use of burkini swimwear in public swimming pools.
Burkini are worn mainly by Muslim women, they cover the entire body except the face, legs and hands. But the French court said it could not allow “selective exceptions to the rules to meet religious requirements”.
The dispute went to the Council of State after a local court in Grenoble suspended the ban on the grounds that it seriously violated the principle of neutrality in public services.
Grenoble Mayor Eric Piolle argued that people using public services such as swimming pools and sports facilities should be allowed to dress as they please.
Judges at the ‘Conseil d’Etat’ ruled in favor of the prefecture of Isere and confirmed that the new Grenoble swimwear regulations were intended only to “satisfy a religious requirement”.
Since 2016, some French local authorities have tried not to legally allow the wearing of the burkin in public places.
The far-right leader, Marine Le Pen, has condemned the burkini as “Islamic propaganda clothing” and called for more regulation.
But in 2019, authorities in the northwestern city of Rennes quietly updated their pool hygiene policies to allow burkin and other types of swimwear.
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