You have to credit David Lagache for being honest. The director of Récréa, the company that runs the aquatic centre on behalf of the metropolis of Tours (Indre-et-Loire), has decided to allow the burkini in his pools. A position he explained in detail on Friday July 29 on the aquatic centre’s Facebook page. In his opinion, reports La Nouvelle République, the burkini affects “one to two people per week”, which he considers little compared to the “450,000 users welcomed each year”.
In his opinion, there are no hygiene problems with the burkini – an argument often made by opponents of the Islamic full-body suit. “The material is meant for swimming,” he explained, pointing out that “these suits are 100% Lycra and sometimes even from a brand that specialises in swimming.” He said there were no problems with allowing them in swimming pools, unlike swimming shorts: “Anyone can wear their shorts outside the pool and go straight to swimming wearing them, which is out of the question from a hygiene point of view.”
However, the argumentation of Récréa’s management is not limited to the hygienic aspect of the debate. According to David Lagache, it is also about attitudes towards the increasingly frequent wearing of the burkinis – and what this phenomenon entails. “We have to adapt culturally to our evolving society,” he simply asserts. Besides, he points out, “it is forbidden to ban burkinis unless there is a prefectural decree”. However, some prefects have tried and been rebuffed with their decisions.
“According to the current legal situation, the wearing of burkinis in swimming pools can neither be banned nor allowed for religious reasons,” confirms Tours Métropole, which explains that “only considerations of public order (hygiene, safety and disturbance of public order) can justify a ban”. Since no such problems have been reported in Tours, despite numerous letters from bathers to the management of Récréa and the city hall, the burkini can therefore be allowed in Tours furthermore.
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