Several French mayors to continue to impose burkini ban despite court ruling

Several mayors in southeast France on Friday said they would maintain their bans on the Islamic burkini swimsuit despite a ruling by France's highest administrative court to suspend the measures.

Town hall authorities in Nice said the mayor would continue to fine women wearing burkinis while the mayor of nearby Frejus, David Rachline, told AFP that "the Frejus order is still valid."

Lawyers for two human rights groups challenged the legality of the ban to the top court Friday, saying the orders infringe basic freedoms and that mayors have overstepped their powers by telling women what to wear on beaches.

Mayors had cited concern about public order after deadly terrorist attacks this summer, and many officials have argued that burkinis oppress women.

President Francois Hollande's government also backed the decisions taken by mainly conservative mayors, who argue the garment violates France's laws on secularism.

French Muslims however, have expressed concern about the ban that could lead to further stigmatization of Muslims, the head of a body representing Muslims in France said.

Sha