Paris (CNN) A day at the pool will be out of reach for some women this summer in the eastern French city of Grenoble, after a higher court upheld a ban on full-length swimsuits known as "burkinis' in public swimming pools. Following a series of protests by local Muslim women , the city had passed an edict in May 2021 allowing bathers at public pools in Grenoble to use the swimwear. But later that month, the city's administrative tribunal overruled the decision -- a ruling upheld on Tuesday by France's highest administrative court. In its ruling, the French Council of State invoked principles of religious neutrality, concluding that permitting the "burkini" would undermine "the equal treatment of users, so that the neutrality of the public service is compromised." "Contrary to the claimed objective of the city of Grenoble," the city's initial decision to authorize the "burkini" aimed "only to satisfy a demand of a religious nature," the court said.

Source: CNN June 23, 2022 02:40 UTC