Cannes can’t ban burkinis

A French court has overturned a ban on burkinis issued in Cannes — the first in a series of local bans on the Muslim full-body swimwear this summer that set off a heated controversy.

The court in Nice concluded that the Cannes decree violates basic freedoms and is illegal because there were no proven risks of disruption to public order, or reasons of hygiene or decency.

The decision followed a ruling last week by a French top court regarding a similar ban in the nearby town of Villeneuve-Loubet that set a legal precedent.