Surrounding and penalizing photographs of a headscarfed woman on a beach by French Police officers in the southern city of Nice have gone viral. Mass circulations of the images have triggered debate over the burkini ban imposed by some French towns on security grounds following recent terror attacks taking place in the country.
Burkini is a sort of religious clothing used by the Muslim women which covers the body and head. The images snapped on Aug. 23 suggest, four police officers cordoned a woman on the beach of Promenade des anglais, infamous for 'Bastille Day Lorry Attack' that took place during last month. 12 armed police officers have permanently been deployed on the beach following killing of 86 people on July 24.
The woman has been seen to remove a blue long-sleeved tunic while noting by one of the officials. Upon contact with the mother of two, The Guardian confirms fining in nearby Cannes for wearing leggings, a tunic and a headscarf.
Nice's city hall claims, the woman has been fined for violating the banning on burkinis and outrights allegations for compelling to remove her clothing. However, the concurrent admission and denial by the city administration has raised suspicion over genuineness of the photographs. Christian Estrosi, Nice city mayor represents the publication as 'manipulated efforts to undermine the city's police officers'.
Though The Guardian and the Daily Mail awards the photo credit to Vantage News, but a France 24 report suggests, the images have been captured by a freelancer working on the story. The pictures are now being sold by Best Image, a Paris-bound agency.
Rejecting the allegations for manipulating photographs, a spokesperson for Best Image confirms presence of the freelancer on the very moment. The 10 minute enduring event reportedly took place in between 11 am to 11.10 am on August 23, continues the agency representative to bolster his statement quoting the photographer.
Intriguingly, the incident has taken place following commitment of a Muslim businessman bearing all fines imposed on women for wearing burkinis. He has made the announcement following a French court ruling upholding the burkini ban.
A French court has recently upheld a previous ruling on burkini ban. Following announcement of the court ruling, a Muslim businessman has declared bearing all penalties imposed on women for violating burkini ban and fueled the ongoing debate. Images of penalizing a Muslim woman on a beach by French police have instigated the debate over the religious clothing and have gone viral.