The ruling, due at 3pm, is likely to set a precedent for around 30 French towns which have banned the burqini, mostly along the sun-drenched southeast coast. A court in the Riviera resort of Nice upheld the ban this week. The burqini bans have triggered a fierce debate about the wearing of the full-body swimsuit, women's rights and the French state's strictly guarded secularism. But in a sign of the divisions within the Socialist government on the issue, Education Minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem said the "proliferation" of burqini bans "was not a welcome development". Story continues below…The so-called burqini bans never actually mention the word burqini, although they are aimed at the garment which covers the hair but leaves the face visible and stretches down to the ankles.

Source: The Local August 26, 2016 08:04 UTC