GUESTLIST
2016 / ISSUE 91
11
GUESTLIST
Demonstrators descended on the French embassy
for an impromptu beach party that was complete
with sand, lilos, decks-chairs and of course, burkini's.
The protest was a stand against France's
scandalous 'burkini ban' that has started being
enforced across coastal regions in France. So far it's
reported that 16 women have been fined after the
legislation was passed.
The beach party came just a day after images
went viral online showing a Muslim women in Nice
allegedly being forced to remove parts of her outfit
by armed police officers. Public outcry exploded
after the they surfaced online with the hashtag
#WearWhatYouWant.
One of the organisers of the party, Fariah Syed
told Metro.co.uk that 'the ban on burkinis, to us,
contradicts all those values that France claims to
uphold - liberty, equality, and fraternity. If a women is
free to expose her body, why isn't she free to cover
it up?'
The ban on full length body suits is an obvious
infringement on Muslim women's freedom of
expression. The deputy mayor of Nice said that
removing the burkini's from beaches was a 'necessity'
following the horrific terrorist attack on July 14th.
The problem here is, the French authorities are
actually creating more of a void between Muslims
and the rest of French society. Alienating their
freedom of expression whilst allowing that freedom
to everyone else will only serve the hands of Islamic
terrorism. The ban cannot be seen as anything other
than misogyny and Islamophobic, at a time when
French national unity is paramount.
Meanwhile in Scotland, their police force has
allowed the Hijab to be optional in their uniform
policy, progress for some at least?
Protesters threw a beach party outside the French embassy in response to the controversial 'burkini ban'.
PROTESTERS THROW BEACH PARTY AT FRENCH EMBASSY