France’s controversial burkini ban has been overruled by the country’s top court. Amidst growing criticism, the Council of State decreed that mayors in the French Riviera don’t have the right to ban burkinis or enforce fines or removal of the garment on the beach.
With a ban that spanned more than 30 French towns along the coast near Nice, the city that was targeted in a mass attack on Bastille Day, the international community and Muslims living in France protested the harsh law that marginalized those who chose to cover up. Officials on the other hand say the ban was enacted in efforts to assuage tension and growing terror-related concerns after a series of attacks shook up the country since last year.
Though the court has officially overruled the ban and the verdict is being lauded by rights activists as a step in the right direction, many within France have a different opinion and there are doubts as to whether the verdict will be followed through or not.
With over 60 percent of the French population in favour of the ban, it isn’t hard to see why mayors of the coastal towns where the law was enforced would found it beneficial to keep the ban in place.
The Muslim community however, still maintains that their marginalization is being laced in with propaganda rhetoric.
