France's Burkini Ban Overturned as Suits Pose No Risk to Peace, Order - Court

The decision to overturn the ban on full-body burkini bathing suits, originally designed for Muslim women, in a French town was based on the conclusion that wearing such garments does not constitute a breach of public order, the Council of State, the France's highest court, stated in a press release Friday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Thursday, France's Human Rights League filed an appeal against the ban on wearing burkini, that was imposed by the authorities of French Riviera resort of Villeneuve-Loubet on August 5, and upheld by the Administrative Tribunal of Nice on August 22.

"Looking into the mayor’s order, the urgent applications judge of the Council of State notes that no evidence was brought before him [to prove] that risks of breaches of peace and good order existed, on the beaches of Villeneuve-Loubet, in relation to the clothes worn by some people. Considering that such risks do not exist, the concern and worries resulting from recent terrorist attacks, in particular the attack that took place in Nice on July 14th, are not sufficient to justify legally the mayor’s order," the Court said in the explanatory part of its decision.

The town became one of the first French cities out of the about 30 to introduce such a restriction. Earlier on Friday, a spokesperson of the Council of State told Sputnik that following Friday's decision, which set a precedent, new appeals on burkini bans in different cities we very likely.

On Thursday, an Ifop poll conducted for Le Figaro newspaper showed that 64 percent of people in France oppose the burkini while just 6 percent approves of the controversial garment.