Photo: Saled Khan/AFPAFP · 23 Aug 2016, 08:43Published: 23 Aug 2016 08:43 GMT+02:00A French administrative tribunal on Monday upheld a burqini ban decided by a Riviera resort which was one of a growing number of towns to outlaw the body-concealing Islamic swimsuit. The Nice tribunal rejected an appeal by two human rights groups, ruling that the ban in Villeneuve-Loubet was "necessary, appropriate and proportionate" to prevent public disorder after a succession of jihadists attacks in France, including one in Nice on July 14th. Villeneuve-Loubet, just west of Nice, was among the first French towns to ban the burqini, triggering a fierce debate in France and elsewhere about the highly-contentious issue. "The administrative tribunal rejected our request. It's a decision along the way and it's not really a surprise," he added, noting that the same tribunal earlier this month upheld a burqini ban by Cannes, the first French town to impose one.

Source: The Local August 22, 2016 19:07 UTC