A French court has suspended a by-law banning wearing religious symbols on a public beach in a Paris suburb. The local mayor maintains the legislation protects the secular community and had previously banned two women from the beach for wearing hijabs.
The Versailles Administrative Court has temporarily reversed the
ban in the suburb of Wissous after plaintiffs alleged the by-law
“violates the principals of the Republic" and amounts to
"religious discrimination" reports AFP. The court will
now decide whether to overturn the legislation for good.
The by-law was challenged after the mayor of Wissous refused two
women wearing hijabs entry onto a temporary beach. Mayor Richard
Trinquier, of the right-wing UMP party, claimed that he was
protecting France’s commitment to secularism by barring the two
women from the public space.
“We wanted to affirm our commitment to secularism to promote
community harmony,” said Trinquer. He said the legislation
was inspired by a 2004 law that made it illegal to wear religious
garments or symbols in state schools. According to Trinquer
Wissous, the beach should also be subject to the law because it
is “an establishment that receives the public” and not “a
public place.”
However, rights group, the Collective Against Islamophobia in
France (CCIF), beg to differ.
They argue that Trinquer’s interpretation of the 2004 legislation
shows a misunderstanding of the law. The CCIF lodged an appeal
with the court on Friday describing the situation as
“unacceptable.”
“Have we gone back to the time of the apartheid? Where only
certain people are allowed access to certain places and
services,” said the CCIF in a statement.
Their lawyer Guezguez told the hearing on Saturday that the mayor
had confused the total eradication of religious expression with
secularism.
“In the past, veiled women went to Wissous beach without the
least problem…. I do not see how life is improved by excluding
one part of the population,” he said.
In 2010, the French government introduced a law banning anyone
from covering their face in a public place. The legislation was
criticized as purposely targeting Muslim women who wear the
traditional burqa – a garment that covers the entire body.
In spite of criticism the European Court of Human Rights upheld
the French government’s ban, supporting their argument that it
contributed to a more cohesive society.