French police order woman to take off burkini, but slowly

Several officers from a French beach police unit have ordered a woman who was caught wearing a burkini — a type of full-body bathing suit, increasingly banned in many places — to remove it, but a little more slowly.

“Madame, you are in violation of ze edict number 3945, which forbids neck-to-ankle beach attire for women,” said Police des Plages captain Marc Cochon as he approached the woman on Thursday near Pointe de la Torche, a beach on France’s west coast. “You must remove your burkini at once.”

“Not so quickly, s’il vous plaît madame,” said officer Vincent Grosyeux. “Please, take your time. There’s no hurry.”

“Ah, oui, comme ça,” said a third officer. “I will take photos, for evidence to provide to the judge.”

The woman, a 26-year-old British tourist, has not commented on the experience, but witnesses say that she was the third surfer in a wetsuit reprimanded that day.