French court suspends burkini ban, says mayors cannot restrict liberties
France's highest administrative court has today suspended a ban on the so-called burkini - after a test case was brought by human rights groups.
The burkini - which is a portmanteau of burqa and bikini - had been banned in some towns in the French Riviera.
The State Council has ruled that local authorities can only restrict individual liberties if there is a "proven risk" to public order.
Earlier this week, there was outrage after police in Cannes fined a woman for wearing the full body on a beach.
The burkini bans have triggered a fierce debate about women's rights and France's strictly-guarded secularism.
Activists worldwide have added their voices to calls for France to reverse the ban on the full-body swimsuits.
This morning, women outside London's French Embassy held a beach party in protest against the law.
The court's decision is likely to set a precedent for other similar religiously- restrictive bans in other French towns.