France Corsica brawl: Mayor bans burkinis amid tensions
Source: BBC
France Corsica brawl: Mayor bans burkinis amid tensions
15 August 2016 Europe
A village mayor in Corsica has banned full-body swimsuits known as "burkinis" after a beach brawl between families of North African descent and local youths.
The ban was imposed at a special council session on Sunday in Sisco amid tensions over the brawl, in which five people were hurt.
Authorities in Cannes and Villeneuve-Loubet, on the French Riviera, also banned Islamic burkinis this month.
Witnesses say hatchets and harpoons were used in the Sisco beach brawl.
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Women's rights minister Laurence Rossignol warned that the debate over burkinis was being used for "ulterior motives", especially by the far right. While denouncing the burkini as "profoundly archaic", she said that in order to combat such outdated ideas, politicians had to maintain their composure. "I don't want our society being ignited by these subjects."
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Read more:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37082637