Le Figaro Nice
For more than ten years, the city of Mandelieu-la-Napoule (Alpes-Maritimes) has passed a decree regulating bathing during the summer period on its territory. In other words: no burkini at the beach and the municipal pool. First of all, it is a question of hygiene, and then of public safety.
On July 7, the administrative court of Nice validated this decision without the slightest difficulty. But ten days later, the Council of State annulled it on appeal by the League of Human Rights (LDH). France's highest administrative authority ruled that the municipality had not mentioned any "recent" disturbance of public order involving the burkini, except for a few long-standing facts and a general context of terrorist threat after the Nice attacks in 2016 and 2020. Not enough to motivate the prohibition of Muslim dress, even if it would be likely to call into question secularism on its basis of separation between the State and religions.
Sébastien Leroy, the mayor (LR) of Mandelieu, immediately expressed his dismay. "The Republic has just yielded again to communitarianism and Islamism," he lamented on July 18 in a statement. For the edile, "This 'Parisian' decision testifies to a total disconnection with the reality on the ground and the daily life faced by mayors with situations whose magnitude and gravity no one seems to want to measure." He added: "While women are fighting and dying to regain their freedom around the world, France is allowing their enslavement to develop on its own soil in the name of human rights.
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"The sign of political and religious proselytism, but also of enslavement of women at a time when they are fighting, at the risk of their lives, throughout the world, to regain their freedom."
Alexandra Martin, Member of Parliament for the 8th constituency of Alpes-Maritimes.
While recalling that mayors are the "essential actors" of the security of their municipality, Sébastien Leroy finally appealed to the law. In this case to the deputy of the 8th constituency of Alpes-Maritimes, Alexandra Martin. Local figure of the Republicans, close to the mayor of Cannes David Lisnard, the parliamentarian was quite willing to lend a hand to the mayor of Mandelieu. "Currently, the powers granted to mayors [...] relate only to safety and hygiene criteria. Communal buildings and equipment are not subject to strict compliance with the principle of secularism and nothing prohibits the wearing of the Burkini," she notes. The MP sees in this dress "the sign of political and religious proselytism, but also of enslavement of women at a time when they are fighting, at the risk of their lives, throughout the world, to regain their freedom."
Alexandra Martin still believes that wearing the burkini is "an Islamic political act". This is why, in consultation with the leaders of her political family including her constituency neighbor Eric Ciotti, she decided Tuesday to bring to the hemicycle a bill to ban the wearing of the burkini on beaches and in swimming pools. While today the case by case prevails, this proposal intends to apply "the principles of neutrality and secularism", on the places concerned but at the national level. "I am convinced that this law would help a lot of women," she says.
According to a poll by the CSA institute for CNEWS, the results of which were published on 20 July, six out of 10 French people (62%) would be opposed to wearing the burkini and would like it to be banned at the beach.