BASTIA // A Corsica mayor became the third in France to announce a ban on burqinis on Monday, two days after a massive brawl broke out on the island over the full-body swimsuit.
The Riviera resorts of Cannes and Villeneuve-Loubet have also banned burqinis from their beaches in recent weeks at a highly sensitive time for Fance's relations with its Muslim community following a series of extremist attacks.
The new ban in the Corsican village of Sisco comes after a brawl broke out on Saturday between locals and families of North African origin.
It is not entirely clear how the fight started, but one witness said it happened after tourists took pictures of women swimming in burqinis on the Mediterranean island.
Five people were injured and three cars burned as the rival sides hurled stones and bottles. A hundred police officers were mobilised to break up the fight.
Prosecutors in nearby Bastia said an inquiry had been opened to determine how the clashes broke out.
Sisco mayor Pierre-Ange Vivoni said burqinis would be banned in the area from Tuesday.
The burqini issue has sparked huge controversy in France, with opponents saying the garment goes against French secular principles and anti-racism campaigners saying that banning women from wearing it amounts to discrimination.
* Agence France-Presse
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