It would be fair to say tensions in France are on a knife-edge at present, the recent spate of terror attacks causing discord amongst those calling the country home.

Nowhere is that more obvious than in Nice, one of the towns where a ban on the controversial burkini was recently put in place.

The reason? Over to the Guardian:

Using language similar to the bans imposed earlier at other locations, the city barred clothing that “overtly manifests adherence to a religion at a time when France and places of worship are the target of terrorist attacks”.

The Nice ban refers specifically to the truck attack in the city on 14 July that claimed 86 lives, as well as the murder 12 days later of a Catholic priest near the northern city of Rouen.

The account of one woman in particular, a 34-year-old woman called Siam, shows just how divided the country is:

After [the police] arrive, she appears to remove a blue garment, although one of the officers appears to take notes or issue an on-the-spot fine…

“I was sitting on a beach with my family…I was wearing a classic headscarf. I had no intention of swimming.”

A witness to the scene, Mathilde Cousin, confirmed the incident. “The saddest thing was that people were shouting ‘go home’, some were applauding the police,” she said. “Her daughter was crying.”

Sigh, what a mess we’ve made of this world we live in. If you think this is a shocker take a look at what happened earlier this month:

Skirmishes at a beach in the commune of Sisco…left four people injured and resulted in riot police being brought in to stop a crowd of 200 Corsicans marching into a housing estate with a high population of people of North African origin, shouting “this is our home”.

One last bit on the legal issues around the ban, following a French NGO challenging its merits:

The Nice tribunal ruled on Monday that the ban in Villeneuve-Loubet was “necessary, appropriate and proportionate” to prevent public disorder after a succession of jihadi attacks in France.

The burkini was “liable to offend the religious convictions or (religious) non-convictions of other users of the beach,” and “be felt as a defiance or a provocation exacerbating tensions felt by” the community, it added.

It seems only a matter of time until France sees another terrorist tragedy strike, the ban just one in a long line of incidents inflaming tensions between residents.

I really hope I’m wrong, but all this nastiness looks to be a ticking a time bomb.

[source:guardian]