‘Burkini’ still banned in Corsica, France

Posted on September 7, 2016 by petrel41

Women in burkini and bikini play together, ANP photo

A judge in Corsica has maintained the ban on wearing a burkini on the beach of Sisco.

The court in Bastia decided that the ban is legal because public order was likely to be disturbed. The burkini ban was established in Sisco after last month on the beach there had been a big brawl. …

The French Council of State has deleted the burkini ban in the seaside resort Vileneuve-Loubet. According to the supreme administrative court, the ban violates basic freedoms, but can be established in a case of threats to the public order. …

Later, however, witnesses contradicted that burkinis provoked the fighting [in Sisco]; they said the quarrel arose because a group of bathers had claimed a piece of beach for themselves.

Burkini-Wearing Woman Gets Chased Off French Beach. Villeneuve-Loubet’s burkini ban has been overturned. But that didn’t stop beachgoers from threatening 23-year-old Zeynab Alshelh, 09/19/2016 09:48 am ET: here.

Burkini ban is illegal, Belgian court says. A Dutch swimming pool stopped a Syrian refugee girl in burkini once, but admitted her next time: here.

1 August 2018: now, French police in anti-nudity witch-hunt.

French racists attack mosque in Corsica

Posted on December 26, 2015 by petrel41

This French video is about a mosque in Ajaccio in Corsica, set on fire by racists in the night of 8 April 2012.

From daily The Independent in Britain today:

Muslim prayer hall sacked by Corsican mob on Christmas Day

The crowd chanted racist slogans

Jon Stone

A crowd has attacked a Muslim prayer hall on the French island of Corsica on Christmas Day.

Around 150 people gathered in the island’s capital Ajaccio after firefighters were attacked while responding to an emergency call from a deprived district of the city.

The crowd ostensibly assembled to show support for the ambushed firefighters, but some people present began attacking a nearby Muslim prayer hall.

Windows were broken at the prayer hall and some of the mob were reported to have attempted to burn copies of the Koran found in the building.

The AFP news agency reports that the crowd shouted racist slogans, including “Arabs get out”.

French PM Manuel Valls said the break-in was “an unacceptable desecration” while interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve said the people who had attacked the firefighters on Thursday night would be identified and arrested.

He added that there was no place for “racism or xenophobia” in France.

Mr Cazeneuve in itself is correct in this. However, then there should be no place for the anti-Roma racism of Cazeneuve’s prime minister Valls either.

The ambush on the firefighters is said to have been carried out by “hooded youths”.

France earlier this month saw the far-right Front National win the first round of its regional elections.

The party was however largely defeated in a second round of run-off voting after widespread tactical voting by supporters of other parties.

Destruction at Ajaccio mosque, 26 December 2015, photo by AFP

This photo shows the destruction at the Ajaccio mosque today.

According to NOS TV in the Netherlands today, the racist mob attacked not only a mosque, but also a kebab restaurant. No one is said to have been arrested.

On December 25 and 26, the French Mediterranean Island of Corsica saw anti-Muslim riots as protesters attacked a local Muslim prayer hall in the capital, Ajaccio, ransacked it, and burned prayer books, including copies of the Koran. After the riot, local authorities ordered a ban on all protests and gatherings until January 4: here.

19-year-old finishes third in first Tour de France stage

Posted on June 29, 2013 by petrel41

This is German video about cycling in 2012, with Danny van Poppel from the Netherlands winning a race.

Today was the first stage of the 100th Tour de France cycling race.

The winner of the bunch sprint was Marcel Kittel from Germany.

Second was Alexander Kristoff from Russia.

Third was Danny van Poppel from the Netherlands. Danny van Poppel is only 19 year old, making him the youngest ever Dutch cyclist, and the youngest post-1945 cyclist from anywhere, to ride in the Tour de France. His third place of today means that tomorrow, Danny will ride in the white jersey for the best young participant. The other young participants are in their early twenties.

More about Danny van Poppel, in this Tour de France with his big brother and his father, is here.