Islamophobia? Woman Slapped Heavy Fine For Entering Pool in Burkini
15 August 2017
In a repetition of
recent events in France, a burkini-clad woman who took a swim in a communal
pool has reportedly been fined to fund the 'cleaning costs' of the facility.
According to The Independent, the woman named Fadila, had decided to go for a
dip at the private residence she was renting with her family near Marseille in
the south of France. However, she was slapped with a cleaning fine for
entering the pool in her burkini.
According to the news report, when the woman entered the water a member of
staff allegedly told everyone else to leave the pool. The owner later called
her husband and asked him to stop her from swimming for the remainder of their
stay, further allegedly having told the couple that they will have to bear the
expense of the pool being emptied and cleaned. They were allegedly asked to
pay damages covering cost of two days the pool was not in use. The damages
equated to €490.
The couple refused to pay the bill, but the owner allegedly removed the fine
from their account without producing an invoice.
"I was stunned because no one stopped me or said anything at all," Fadila told
the charity United Against Islamophobia in France (CCIF). "I was disappointed,
shocked, wounded by the fact that someone could be so hypocritical and wicked
because of a burkini." CCIF said Fadila's burkini could not have caused a
hygiene issue as the swimsuits are specifically adapted for swimming.
Last summer, fines were imposed on women wearing burkinis in the southern
French town of Cannes. Similarly, earlier this week, two British women were
left humiliated after being told to leave a private swimming pool in Portugal
because they were both wearing burkinis.
This latest incident comes in despite the fact that France's highest
administrative court has ruled that 'burkini bans' being enforced on the
country's beaches were illegal and a violation of fundamental liberties.
Add Comments