French resorts lift controversial burkini bans after court rulingSeptember 2, 2016 - 10:34 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The city of Nice has lifted a controversial ban on burkinis - the latest French seaside resort to do so, in line with a national court ruling, BBC News reports. Bans on the women's full-body swimsuits have also been lifted in Villeneuve-Loubet, Cannes, Frejus and Roquebrune. French Riviera mayors imposed the bans, but they were overruled by France's top administrative court. Critics see burkinis as a symbol of Islam and potentially provocative after the July terror atrocity in Nice. But France's Council of State ruled that the ban in Villeneuve-Loubet "seriously and clearly illegally breached fundamental freedoms". The human rights lawyer who brought that case said he would take each town to court over their burkini bans. The Collective against Islamophobia in France (CCIF) and the Human Rights League (LDH) challenged the Villeneuve-Loubet ban, turning it into a test case. In recent days courts in several French Riviera resorts have annulled their bans - even though local mayors had vowed to keep them in place. Two beach resorts in Corsica - Sisco and Ghisonaccia - still have bans in place. French Prime Minister Manuel Valls wrote in support of the bans, saying burkinis were "the affirmation of political Islam in the public space". Burkinis were not mentioned by name in the bans, with the order simply saying beachwear must be respectful of good public manners and the principle of secularism. Authorities had said that they were concerned about the public order implications of the religious clothing, especially after the attacks in Nice and Paris carried out by people influenced by Islamist extremism. On Bastille Day, 14 July, a lorry careered into a beachfront crowd in Nice, killing 86 people. Jihadists also killed 147 people in Paris last year. Photo: Reuters Related links: Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | International cybercrime ringleaders arrested in Armenia, Ukraine Europol, Europe's crime agency, has arrested four ringleaders of several cybercrime networks that used botnets. Armenia skips CSTO Defense Ministers meeting A meeting of the Council of Defense Ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization countries began in Almaty. Armenian, Iranian foreigh policy chief talk over the phone The Foreign Minister of Armenia once again expressed condolences to his counterpart on the death of the President of Iran. Armenia, U.S. customs authorities to boost assistance with new deal The government has approved an agreement with the U.S. government on mutual assistance between the customs authorities. |