DHAKA: Burkinis are among the overtly religious outfits banned from some of France’s most popular beaches, amid growing terror concerns.

Cannes, a city on the French Riviera famous for its annual film festival, has banned overtly religious clothing on the beach in the wake of recent terror attacks in France and other western European countries.

Those breaking the temporary ban, which runs from July 28 until August 31, face fines of €38 ($42), said the Cannes mayor’s office. No one has so far been fined.

The mayor implemented the ban in light of recent terror attacks in the country, reports the CNN.

“A beach outfit showing in an ostentatious manner a religious affiliation, given that France and religious places are currently the target of terrorist acts, has the nature of creating risks of troubles of public order (mobs, conflicts, etc.) that are necessary to be prevented,” said the new law.

It comes nearly a month after a terror attack in nearby Nice, where a man drove a heavy truck through a Bastille Day crowd on the city’s main beach promenade, killing 84.

Just over a week later, 86-year-old priest Jacques Hamel, 86, was stabbed to death in a separate terror attack on a church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray in northern France.

Human rights activists are questioning the legality of the ban.

Hervé Lavisse, president of the Cannes-Grasse section of the Human Rights League, told CNN the ban would be counterproductive because “instead of appeasing people, it will inflame tensions.”

BDST: 2102 HRS, AUG 12, 2016
BD