The burkini is not just a controversial topic usually the subject of talk shows. It is increasingly a reality to which operators and users of swimming pools all over France have to adapt. An example of this is an incident at the municipal swimming pool of Ribérac (Dordogne), which happened around noon on Wednesday July 13. Several bathers observed a woman wearing a burkini enter the pool.
“I was surprised to see the woman dressed from head to toe,” a witness told the Sud-Ouest newspaper. “I thought to myself that this is a real hygiene problem,” he said, recalling that men are not allowed to wear loose swimming shorts in municipal swimming pools. “I have to admit that I don’t understand,” he explained. According to him, this is the second time in less than two months that such an incident has occurred in Ribérac: “I then approached the district’s elected representatives without anything being done.”
The president of the Périgord Ribéracois Municipal Association (CCPR), contacted by the Sud-Ouest newspaper, remained perplexed, admitting that he had “not been informed of the presence of this person”. Didier Bazinet also remained evasive when asked about the rules of the municipal swimming pools in Ribérac – where the burkini should not be allowed in principle.
However, as reported by the daily newspaper in the south of France, a new version of the bathing rules was drawn up a few days earlier, on July 11. This was described as “more precise than the previous one” and was intended to enforce “strict compliance with hygiene regulations” in the swimming pool. However, the new regulation, which was drafted at the request of the Dordogne prefecture, has not yet come into force: It must first be confirmed by the administration, which must take into account existing case law. Undoubtedly, the case of Grenoble, where the Council of State recently confirmed the burkini ban, should serve as an example for the Ribéraco administration.