Wearing a burkini is a 'provocation', says former French president Nicolas Sarkozy
'Wearing a burkini is a political act, it's militant, a provocation'
Nicolas Sarkozy has labelled the burkini a “provocation” that supports radical Islam as the debate over the ban on the swimwear intensified ahead of a court ruling that will determine whether they are legal.
Controversy over “burkini bans”, imposed in a number of the country’s world-famous Riviera resorts, heightened on Tuesday after photographs emerged showing four police officers armed with handguns, batons and pepper spray forcing a woman on a beach in Nice to remove her burkini.
Nice is the most recent French resort to ban the full-body swimsuits worn by some Muslim women, following bans in the Corsican town of Disco, and the Riviera resorts of Cannes and Villeneuve-Loubet.
Several women have now been fined in France for wearing the swimwear.
Wading into the debate, France’s former conservative president said the country should not “imprison women behind fabric”, adding that “doing nothing” against the burkini would “suggest France appears weak”, Le Point reports.
In an interview due to be published in Le Figero Magazine on Friday, Mr Sarkozy said: “Wearing a burkini is a political act, it's militant, a provocation.
“If we do not put an end to this, there is a risk that in 10 years, young Muslim girls who do not want to wear the veil or burkini will be stigmatised and peer-pressured.”
The bans are now set to be scrutinised by France’s State Council, the country’s highest administrative court, after human rights groups challenged the prohibitions.
The Human Rights League (LDH) is appealing a decision by a lower court in Nice, which upheld a ban on the swimwear by the town of Villeneuve-Loubet.
The LDH said the ban is a “serious and illegal attack on numerous fundamental rights”, including freedom of religion
As a leading opposition figure, Mr Sarkozy announced this week he is running for the presidency again in next spring's election.
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49/50 5 August 2019
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50/50 4 August 2019
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1/50 22 September 2019
An anti-government protester sets a fire during a rally outside the Mong Kok police station in Hong Kong
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2/50 21 September 2019
New Zealand players perform the haka before their opening Rugby World Cup match against South Africa in Japan. The All Blacks secured a 23-13 victory over their rivals
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3/50 20 September 2019
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4/50 19 September 2019
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6/50 17 September 2019
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7/50 16 September 2019
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8/50 15 September 2019
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9/50 14 September 2019
Mourners hold portraits of Zimbabwe's late President Robert Mugabe as they attend a farewell ceremony at the National Sports Stadium in Harare. Mugabe died in Singapore on September 6 at the age of 95. He left Zimbabwe deeply divided over his legacy with his country still struggling with high inflation and shortages of goods after decades of crisis
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10/50 13 September 2019
Rescue workers on a boat rescue a person stranded inside a flooded tunnel after heavy floods in Pilar de la Horadada, Spain
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11/50 12 September 2019
Police officers try to control the crowd after members of the public were invited to view Robert Mugabe's body as it lies in state at the Rufaro stadium in Harare, Zimbabwe
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12/50 11 September 2019
A US flag hangs from a steel girder, damaged in the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center at a memorial in Jersey City. It is the 18th anniversary of the attacks
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13/50 10 September 2019
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14/50 9 September 2019
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15/50 8 September 2019
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16/50 7 September 2019
An artist performs on Tverskaya street during celebrations marking the 872nd anniversary of the city of Moscow
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17/50 6 September 2019
Children play football next to a defaced portrait of Former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe in Harare on the day he died, aged 95. The former leader was forced to resign in 2017, after a 37-year rule, whose early promise was eroded by economic turmoil, disputed elections and human rights violations, has died
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18/50 5 September 2019
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19/50 4 September 2019
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20/50 3 September 2019
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21/50 2 September 2019
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22/50 1 September 2019
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23/50 31 August 2019
A man sits in front of riot officers during the rally 'Calling One Hundred Thousands Christians Praying for Hong Kong Sinners' in Hong Kong, China
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24/50 30 August 2019
A migrant forces his way into the Spanish territory of Ceuta. Over 150 migrants made their way into Ceuta after storming a barbed-wire border fence with Morocco
AFP/Getty
25/50
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26/50 28 August 2019
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27/50 27 August 2019
Burning rubbles in the market of Bouake, central Ivory Coast, after a fire broke overnight
AFP/Getty
28/50 26 August 2019
French President Emmanuel Macron gestures as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, second from left, sits between British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, left, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel as they take part in a meeting at the G7 Summit in Biarritz, France
The Canadian Press via AP
29/50 25 August 2019
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EPA
30/50 24 August 2019
A police officer prepares to strike a protester as clashes erupt during a pro-democracy march in Hong Kong's Kowloon Bay
AFP/Getty
31/50 23 August 2019
Oxfam activists in costumes depicting leaders of the G7 nations protest in Biarritz, France on the day before the summit is due to be held there
AFP/Getty
32/50 22 August 2019
A vendor sits as she sells models of the Hindu deity Krishna on display at a roadside ahead of the 'Janmashtami' festival in Chennai
Getty
33/50 21 August 2019
A girl reacts next to Pope Francis as he leads the weekly general audience in Paul VI Hall at the Vatican
Reuters
34/50 20 August 2019
A masked dancer takes part in the Nil Barahi mask dance festival, an annual event during which dancers perform while posing as various deities that people worship to seek blessings, in Bode, Nepal
Reuters
35/50 19 August 2019
Protesters take to the street to face off with Indonesian police in Manokwari, Papua. The riots broke out, with a local parliament building being torched, as thousands protested allegations that police tear-gassed and arrested students who supported the restive region's independence
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36/50 18 August 2019
People survey the destruction after an overnight suicide bomb explosion that targeted a wedding reception in Kabul, Afghanistan. At least 63 people, mostly wedding guests from the Shi'ite Muslim community, were killed and more than 180 injured when a suicide bomber attacked a wedding hall
EPA
37/50 17 August 2019
A man retrieves his prize after climbing up a greased pole during a competition held as part of Independence Day celebrations at Ancol Beach in Jakarta. Indonesia is celebrating its 74th anniversary of independence from the Dutch colonial rule
AP
38/50 16 August 2019
Swiss pianist and composer Alain Roche plays piano suspended in the air at dawn during the 20th "Jeux du Castrum", a multidisciplinary festival in Switzerland
AFP/Getty
39/50 15 August 2019
Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako bow during a memorial service ceremony marking the 74th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War Two, in Tokyo, Japan
Reuters
40/50 14 August 2019
A woman walks with a Kashmir's flag to express solidarity with the people of Kashmir, during a ceremony to celebrate Pakistan's 72nd Independence Day at the Mausoleum of Muhammad Ali Jinnah in Karachi, Pakistan
Reuters
41/50 13 August 2019
The extraordinary moment a volcano erupted, shooting luminous hot lava from the surface, as a lightning bolt striked the centre of the mountain. Photographer Martin Reitze, 55, captured rare images of volcanic ash escaping from the Ebeko volcano in Russia whilst the lightning froze the ash cloud in time. Martin, from Munich, was standing around a kilometre away from the northern crater of the volcano when it erupted. The volcano expert said: "The strong lightning which shows in the image is a very rare exception, as it was much stronger than usual."
Martin Reitze/SWNS
42/50 12 August 2019
People swim in a public bath pool in Zalakaros, Hungary. Some regions of the country have been issued the highest grade of warning by the National Meteorological Service as the temperatures may reach 33-38 centigrade
EPA
43/50 11 August 2019
A pro-democracy protester is held by police outside Tsim Sha Tsui Police station during a demonstration against the controversial extradition bill in Hong Kong
AFP/Getty
44/50 10 August 2019
Muslim pilgrims make their way down on a rocky hill known as Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual hajj pilgrimage, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia
AP
45/50 9 August 2019
Waves hit a sea wall in front of buildings in Taizhou, China's eastern Zhejiang province. China issued a red alert for incoming Super Typhoon Lekima which is expected to batter eastern Zhejiang province early on August 10 with high winds and torrential rainfall
AFP/Getty
46/50 8 August 2019
A herder struggles with his flock across a motorway at the city cattle market, ahead of the Eid al-Adha in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Eid al-Adha is the holiest of the two Muslims holidays celebrated each year, it marks the yearly Muslim pilgrimage (Hajj) to visit Mecca, the holiest place in Islam. Muslims slaughter a sacrificial animal and split the meat into three parts, one for the family, one for friends and relatives, and one for the poor and needy
EPA
47/50 7 August 2019
Kazakh servicemen perform during a ceremony opening the International Army Games at the 40th military base Otar in Zhambyl Region, Kazakhstan
Reuters
48/50 6 August 2019
Paleontologist Naturalis Anne Schulp takes part in the construction of the skeleton of the Tyrannosaurus Rex called Trix in Naturalis in Leiden, The Netherlands. After a month-long tour of Europe, Trix is home in time for the opening of the new museum
AFP/Getty
49/50 5 August 2019
Flowers paying tribute to the eight-year-old boy who died after he was pushed under a train at Frankfurt am Main's station. The horrific crime happened last week and has led politicians to call for heightened security
AFP/Getty
50/50 4 August 2019
Mourners take part in a vigil near the border fence between Mexico and the US after a mass shooting at a Walmart store in El Paso killed 20 people. The suspected gunman behind shooting is believed to be a 21-year-old white man called Patrick Crusius
Reuters
Mr Sarkozy says if he wins, he will ban every religious sign in French universities.
He is expected to campaign on a hard-line platform on immigration and security issues.
Additional reporting by Associated Press
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