Burqa加bikini的burkini布堅尼

80% of lawyers think French police are WRONG to make women remove their burkinis

Solicitors and barristers pass judgment on controversial ban

Nearly 80% of lawyers think it’s wrong that French police officers have reportedly confronted women on the beaches there and asked them to disrobe following a ban on burkinis.

In the wake of recent terror attacks the authorities in some coastal towns took the drastic decision to prohibit burkinis — a full-body-plus-head swimming costume often worn by Muslim women.

The controversial ban came into force about two weeks ago but with a staggering heatwave taking hold some women have chosen to defy it, prompting intervention by French police officers.

Lawyers — who tend to lean towards more tolerant views — have been quick to come out against the ban and the actions of the French officers shown in the viral photos. Criminal solicitor Nicholas Diable commented on the authorities’ “Victorian attitude”, while media law barrister Felicity McMahon pointed out the law doesn’t have clear boundaries.

When we put the question out on Twitter, 79% of the 321 surveyed said French police officers are wrong to make women remove their clothing in this context.

That said, one Twitter user argued that the police officers photographed were just applying the law.

Despite worldwide criticism, a legal challenge launched in France against the burkini ban was recently rejected at first instance. However, Le Collectif contre l’Islamophobie en France (The Association against Islamophobia in France), which took part in the original legal challenge, has confirmed it will appeal the decision to France’s highest administrative court — the Conseil d’Etat — so watch this space.

(Legal Cheek Weekly 25/8/2016)


世俗vs.宗教 女性服飾成磨心

【明報專訊】法國向來嚴格奉行政教分離，禁絕宗教進入公眾領域；並伸張女權，認為有需要保障女性免受男性壓迫，成近年禁制全身罩袍以至布堅尼的理據，不過卻令女性衣著再成磨心。

法總理：奴役女性象徵

法國政界不分左右都支持禁令。總理瓦爾斯（Manuel Valls）聲言，布堅尼是「奴役女性」象徵，「有違現代社會價值」。女性權利部長羅西尼奧爾（Laurence Rossignol）更稱，布堅尼與罩袍同樣是「藉隱藏女性身體來控制她們」，危及社會多元與女性解放。不過周二尼斯海灘發生戴頭巾女性疑被持槍警促脫下頭巾事件（上圖），相片流出後輿論嘩然。當局強調相中女性主動脫下頭巾展示身上泳裝。有網民將該照片與1925年一張攝於美國的照片對比，照片顯示一名警員以尺量度一名女性泳裝的長度（下圖），斥做法倒退。

女性服飾向來是爭議戰場。20世紀初，西方女性漸捨棄遮蓋全身、以羊毛製的高領裙子游泳，改穿單件式無袖短款泳裝，迅即招來衛道之士抨擊，澳洲著名泳手兼女演員姬娜曼（Annette Kellerman）1907年因穿著款式類近的「淫穢」泳裝被捕。即使現時被視作平常的比堅尼，1950年面世時亦招主流社會側目。《衛報》指出，過往政府要求女性遮蓋身體，如今卻嫌遮蓋太多，這些不滿往往反映社會對性別、種族與階級變化的恐懼與焦慮。如今人們對恐襲感無力，便指摘布堅尼，無視限制女性選擇與主張的價值背道而馳。

(26/8/2016)

最近有做牧師的波友問我對同性婚姻的看法, 期待我會給一個否定的答案, 我恰恰講why not, 他十分驚訝, 覺得匪夷所思。我說, 雖然我喜歡女人, 但每個人的性傾向應受到尊重, 既然有人傾向同性, 又想獲得法律上的地位確認, 他們雖是小眾, 為何不可受到平權對待。如果有男人愛上我, 我可能一時間不懂得反應, 但我也有不接受的權利, 做人何必咁迂腐, 我勝在無宗教包袱, 所以可以大談自由主義。

上面這兩則關於burkini的報導充滿爭論性。像回教婦女的罩袍burqa及niqab那種高度掩蓋的服式, 可能會神秘吊詭, burkini只不過是長衫長褲加條頭巾, 只像冬天運動的緊身衣加頂帽, 也藏不到炸彈或AK47, 連這都要禁就有點那個了。法國人的浪漫情懷給恐怖襲擊轟走了。2014年澳洲國會也曾經打算立法禁止穿罩袍的人進入國會大樓, 最終撤回議案。在沙灘禁穿burkini的法例, 究竟是出於歧視的成份有幾大呢? 如果基於恐怖襲擊的顧慮, 那麼穿着西裝的男人, 身上要藏炸彈又何難之有。真心追求自由民主的人不會胡亂把限制加諸別人身上, 或者用些偉大高尚的藉口來排斥別人的宗教文化傳統。真的要害人, 笑裏可以藏刀, 脫得一絲不掛坑人更加利害。我對法國針對burkini的法例嗤之以鼻。