Burkini ban: Sarah Silverman calls pictures of woman forced to remove clothing in Nice 'f***ing heinous'

'Who and what are you protecting exactly?' Silverman asks

Sarah Silverman (Getty)

Sarah Silverman has called France’s burkini ban “f***ing heinous” after images emerged appearing to show a woman being forced to remove her burkini by armed police.

Over the last 24 hours, the country’s controversial ban has come under fire after the pictures emerged. In the images, taken on at the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, armed French police are stood over a woman who then appears to remove her long sleeved top. She was reportedly fined and warned about the ban.

In response to the pictures, Silverman condemned the ban and questioned who the country is protecting by enforcing it.

Re-tweeting coverage of the incident tweeted by the actress Susan Sarandon, the comedian wrote: “F***ing heinous, France. Who and what are you protecting, exactly?”

(Screengrab/Twitter (Screengrab/Twitter)

The ‘burkini’ is an item of swimwear designed for Muslim woman who wish to cover up when visiting the beach or in water in line with their religious beliefs.

Last week, the French Prime Minister Manuel Valls backed the ban which has been enforced in several towns in the south of France and across the Meditteranean. Since the ban came into force, several women have been fined for breaching it.

The popular resort of Cannes introduced the ban earlier this month with the mayor of the town saying the measures were introduced “to make sure my city is safe in the context of the state of emergency”. The state of emergency, put in place after the terror attacks in Paris in November, was extended in July following the Bastille Day attack in Nice which killed 85 people.