French court annuls Mandelieu-la-Napoule burkini prohibition on Riviera beach

On Friday, the Nice Administrative Court struck down the ban on burkinis at the beach of Mandelieu-la-Napoule, a resort on the French Riviera. The court found that the prohibition breached three core liberties: freedom of movement, freedom of conscience and personal liberty. Municipal officials had justified the measure by claiming that visibly religious clothing could jeopardise public order, but the judges said no concrete evidence supported that claim, citing only two incidents from ten and fourteen years earlier.

The ruling notes there is no proof that such garments endanger beach safety. While the Council of State previously nullified similar bans nationwide, several seaside towns continued to enforce temporary moratoria during the tourist season, and the conservative mayor of Mandelieu-la-Napoule had repeatedly renewed the restriction.