‘Which French values being defended is unclear’

France’s Muslims at a time when the country is listing to the Islamophobic right in the wake of a series of horrific terrorist attacks. And with presidential elections scheduled for next spring and the right-wing National Front’s popularity on the rise, French officials and politicians have leapt to support the mayors.”

The USA Today, by contrast, took a hardline view on the issue, in support of the ban, and unwilling to spare even the French judiciary. “The climate in France is one of fear, tension and aggression. Politicians have been unceasing in their calls for the country to stay united, and the French have shown admirable calm despite the mayhem. Yet, the burkini is not a symbol of unity; it is one of divisiveness, a brazen renunciation of the secularism that has underpinned France for the past 100 years. By wearing a burkini, women are purposefully setting themselves apart from the rest of French society — a point beyond the grasp of France’s highest court, which overturned the burkini ban Friday,” the paper said.

A similar stance was adopted by French newspaper L’Union, which examined the fierce standoff over the burkini and said in an editorial: “The Islamic swimsuit is no longer just about a piece of cloth and has become a symbol of the intention by a tiny fraction to oppose any western cultural re-appropriation.” The paper went on to argue that while France tries to showcase the integration of its citizens, they lean against it — it cited the rise of burkini sales as evidence of the “provocation” taking place.

The Guardian, meanwhile, threw its full weight in support of those protesting the burkini ban. “So this is what liberation looks like: Four armed officers ordering a woman to undress in public,” the paper said in a caustic reference to last week’s incident. “France’s Prime Minister, Manuel Valls, has backed the mayors ordering ‘burkini bans’ on their beaches by arguing, among other things, that the garment is part of the enslavement of women. The photos from Nice, in which a Muslim woman removes her tunic under duress, show that claim of upholding women’s rights to be as erroneous as the others advanced in support of the measures ... Which French values are being defended is unclear. Not liberation; nor equality; nor fraternity ...”