French police forced a Muslim woman to remove her beach garment Tuesday in southern France, where burkinis were recently outlawed, and images of the encounter are fueling the debate over the controversial ban.
Armed with pepper spray and batons, officers approached the middle-aged woman on the Promenade des Anglais beach in Nice and stood watch as she took off a Muslim-style garment, The Daily Mail reported.
The woman is pictured removing a veil and baring her arms.
The incident is the latest in a series of encounters since officials in several French cities banned the Muslim beach apparel in the wake of recent terrorist attacks. The Nice incident happened near the site of last month's Bastille Day terrorist attack, during which 84 people died after a truck barreled through a crowded avenue.
"The saddest thing was that people were shouting 'go home,' some were applauding the police," said Mathilde Cousin, who witnessed the encounter, according to The Guardian. "Her daughter was crying."
Human Rights League has appealed the bans in a case that will come before the country's highest administrative court on Thursday. A lower court in Nice upheld the ban.
Rudy Salles, the deputy mayor of Nice, defended the ban, saying, "It's a necessity after... the 14th of July on the Promenade des Anglais."
"It is not the habit and the custom of the Muslims in Nice to wear [clothes] like this on the beach," the BBC reported.
News of the encounter sparked outrage on Twitter.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.