- The Geneva Parliament bans the burkini in public swimming pools.
- The decision was made on Thursday with 83 votes to 53.
- The law defines permitted swimwear: One or two pieces, above the knees, arms free.
The burkini is banned in Geneva swimming pools. The Geneva parliament decided this on Thursday with 53 votes to 83. There were six abstentions in the vote on the law “on swimming pools and public baths”, as the “Tribune de Genève” (TdG) reports.
The law does not ban the burkini per se, but rather defines what clothing is allowed in the swimming pool. The definition is: “One-piece or two-piece swimsuits, the maximum length of which reaches above the knees and leaves the arms free.” According to the TdG, the law resulted from attempts by the SVP to ban the burkini.
Rule against rule?
For Caroline Renold from the SP, the entire debate about the burkini is “a stigmatization of the other, a xenophobic manipulation”. Carole-Anne Kast, also from the SP, is of the opinion that “any regulation regarding the female body is a patriarchal regulation.”
Alia Chaker Mangeat from the center counters: “If abolishing the burkini is a gesture of patriarchal rule, then what about the burkini itself?” The issue of burkini in Geneva is probably not off the table yet after the vote. Carole-Anne Kast tried to introduce a change in the law that would allow people to wear swimwear for UV protection. But she failed. She now says to the TdG: “Ultimately the courts will decide on this.”
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Simon Misteli (sim), born in 1995, has been working as an editor at the news desk since 2024. He writes about a wide variety of topics with a focus on foreign stories.
