Jean-Luc Boujon (in Grenoble), edited by Laura Laplaud 10:30 a.m., May 17, 2022
The Grenoble city council decided on Monday to authorize the wearing of the burkini in its municipal swimming pools.
A stormy deliberation and a measure carried by the ecologist mayor Éric Piolle adopted with extreme accuracy, only two votes apart.
This modification of the rules will be effective from June 1st.
Two small votes apart: 29 for, 27 against.
As expected, the vote was very close but in the end, burkinis will be present in Grenoble swimming pools from June 1, 2022, that is to say in just 15 days.
A narrow success for the mayor of the city, Éric Piolle, but a success which he was still pleased with.
"It's tight but it passes! We knew we had a majority for this text," he explains, relieved.
"It's a multiple victory, both for women's rights and then also for respect for secularism, it's important, it's one of our fundamental texts."
"It's a throwback"
However, no less than 13 members of the majority of Éric Piolle spoke out against his project.
This is the case of Amel Zenati, Muslim, and municipal councilor in disagreement with the mayor.
"It's a step back. Women have been able to obtain, over almost two centuries, many advances. But the burkini is a project carried by Islamists," she says.
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"It is also supported by women who consider themselves feminists. But in my opinion, feminism is not there. And then, it is not a request from the Muslim community, quite the contrary. Many Muslims do not want not be in this debate", continues Amel Zenati.
A debate in which also invited Laurent Wauquiez, president of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region who, immediately after the vote, confirmed that he was going to cut all the subsidies paid to the city of Grenoble.
The Prefect of Isère, he will file an appeal before the administrative court.