Some 30 demonstrators in London protest French burkini ban

LONDON – Some 30 demonstrators have gathered in London to protest local French bans of the body-covering burkini swimsuit.

The protesters threw a ‘wear what you want’ beach party outside the French Embassy to make the point that it was unjust to tell women what to wear. The demonstrations came a day after images on social media appeared to show uniformed French police requiring a woman to take off her tunic.

The pictures elicited shock and anger. Among the demonstrators was 40-year-old Jenny Dawkins, a curate at All Saints Church in Peckham.

She said that whatever the reason behind the ban, it doesn’t justify, “men with weapons standing over a woman telling her what not to wear. That’s not a sight that any of us should stand for.”