Feiza Ben Mohamed, a spokesperson for the Muslim Federation of the South of France, has expressed great surprise at a decision by an administrative tribunal to uphold a ban on the so-called burkini on beaches in Cannes, an ordinance issued July 28 by Cannes Mayor David Lisnard “on the grounds that burkinis, which are popular with Muslim women, could risk disrupting public order while France was the target of terrorist attacks”

“This suggests that women when covered are affiliated with terrorism,” Ben Mohamed said.

The federation, who posted on Facebook “We strongly condemn the illegal and abusive use of such procedures for the unique purpose of stigmatisation and exclusion”, will now take the case to the Council of State to overturn the ruling, introduced by the town’s mayor. “One can’t invoke the war against terror in banning the burkini. “Such a ruling masks the inability of our elected officials to take concrete and effective measures against terrorism,” she added.

On August 5, the mayor of Villeneuve-Loubet, Lionnel Luca also imposed a burkini ban on his beaches. Mandelieu-la-Napoule passed the by-law in … 2014.