Burkini debate reignited in France as Grenoble women defy ban

Last week, a group of seven burkini-clad swimmers in Grenoble entered a public pool, defying a municipal ban.

… "The burkini has no place in France, where men and women are equal," said Eric Ciotti, a member the right-wing Les Republicains (The Republicans) party, writing on Twitter. "To let these Islamist activists in Grenoble or anywhere else in France is to renounce the Republic. I will never accept it."

… "Women, whatever their religion or way of life, should be able to access municipal baths," Schiappa told the main local newspaper, Le Dauphine Libere.

But, she added, "When it comes to dozens of women wearing a burkini, there is a political message there. The message is cover up and its goal is to create a new norm."

… "What's most important for me as a feminist is that women support women," Fatima Benomar, one of the founders of the feminist group Les Effronte-es, told Al Jazeera.

"No one has a problem with a woman wearing a veil if she's doing their housecleaning or washing the company toilets. But the second she leaves her 'place,' then it becomes a scandal."

In response to the burkini protesters, one group has planned a counter-protest on Sunday encouraging Grenoble residents to "get naked"...…

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