Nuns Banned from Beaches

Nuns cannot wear their habits on beaches, said the Deputy Mayor of Nice, Rudy Salles. He said on the World at One on BBC Radio 4 in August 2016 that people have to wear a bathing suit at beaches. 

Therefore, they cannot wear burkini, habits and apparently any other clothing than bathing suits.  He explained that there is separation of religion and the state. 

But, wearing modest cloths does not have to be related to any particular religion. Some women just choose to cover their shoulders and to wear skirts or dresses which cover thighs not to provoke men. It is not something which causes danger to public security. 

Nevertheless, Mr Salles chose to argue against modesty as he sees it as a religious requirement. He therefore argued that: “Religion is the affair of each one but each one at home, each one at church, not each one in the street.”

This quote shows that authorities in France does not know that freedom of religion under Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights includes freedom of people to manifest their beliefs both in private and in public.