In an order issued on July 28, but first publicized last week, the mayor of the seaside French city of Cannes has banned swimwear that does not reflect "good morals and secularism." The order, which is effective through August, is aimed at preventing Muslim women from wearing burkinis-- full-body swimsuits. According to
NBC News, the mayor said that after last month's terrorist attack in nearby Nice killing 80 people and the subsequent attack on a church:
Beachwear manifesting religious affiliation in an ostentatious way, while France and its religious sites are currently the target of terrorist attacks, could create the risk of disturbances to public order.
UPDATE:
Qantara reports that an Aug. 13 court decision upheld the Cannes ban:
Three women backed by the Collective Against Islamophobia in France (CCIF) challenged the Cannes decision.... But a court in Nice rejected the request, saying the move was legal under French law forbidding people from "invoking their religious beliefs to skirt common rules regulating relations between public authorities and private individuals".
Meanwhile the resort of Villeneuve-Loubet imposed a similar ban.
