Manuel Valls insisted on Monday evening that bare breasts were a better representation of the values of France and of women’s rights than Muslim head coverings. Just as the bitter row about France's burqini bans was dying down Valls told an audience on Monday that the naked breast of Marianne, a national symbol of the French Republic, was an appropriate icon for the country. "Marianne has a naked breast because she nourished the people! The PM warned that despite France's highest court ruling burqini bans illegal, the debate about was "not over". Reiterating his stance on the issue, he said: "For me the burqini is a symbol of the enslavement of women."

Source: The Local August 30, 2016 15:56 UTC