No burkinis or topless bathing in Geneva swimming pools
Now ladies will have to unclad should they want to go to a swimming pool in Geneva, but not too much: the city lashed out at Muslim swimwear burkinis – and topless bathing, banning both.
Under the new rules voted in this week by the city authorities, women should wear “a one-piece or two-piece swimsuit,” local La Tribune de Genève newspaper reported. Women who wish to swim in Geneva’s pools have to wear swimsuits that should come down “no lower than knee level and keeps arms bare” and shouldn’t be “a swim skirt or a dress,” the legislation said.
Under the previous edition, swimmers were authorized to wear “any clothing that is specifically used for swimming,” as the city authorities were more concerned with youngster coming for a dive in “street wear.” That wording was, however, deemed “insufficient” and the standards received a “simple update.”
The changes were criticized by a number of politicians, including Christian Democrat Alia Chaker Mangeat, who said the update “creates a new controversy” and may provoke extremists.
According to socialist councilor Sami Kanaan, the ruling constitutes the “denial of an open, multicultural and liberal Geneva.”
The rules were first adopted in September. Two months after that, Félicien Mazzola, a spokesperson for Geneva’s Culture and Sport Department, commented to La Tribune that hygiene was the main reason behind it.
“There was only one case of burkini in the city’s pools. We have more trouble with teenagers who come to swim in shorts,” Mazzola said.
The Burkini is full-body swimwear used by some Muslim women to comply with Islamic interpretations of “modesty,” especially in public.
During the summer of 2016, tensions ran high on French beaches in towns where local authorities introduced burkini bans. Public opinion was split over the issue, with some accusing police of using “Nazi” tactics, and others supporting the move. In May, nine women attempting to hold a “burkini party” were arrested in Cannes during the city’s iconic annual film festival.
