So far 15 French towns have banned the burkini,
a full-length swimsuit that covers the whole body except for the face,
hands and feet. Officials say the ban on the outfit mostly worn by
Muslim women is a response to growing terror concerns.
Wearing
everything from bikinis to burkas, and even priest cloaks,
demonstrators in London built sand castles and brandished signs saying:
"Wear what you want."
"I think it's ridiculous," said event
organizer Fariah Syed of the burkini ban. "No one, regardless of their
religion and race, should be told what they should wear and where they
can wear it.
"It's important to show solidarity because of the spread of Islamophobia around the globe -- especially in France."
Syed was joined by bikini-wearing Natalie, who asked that her last name
not be used. "Women ought to be able to make their own choice about what
they wear whether that be a bikini or burkini, it makes no
difference," she said.
Meanwhile, Jenny Dawkins, a Church of England priest, wore her
traditional cloaks after hearing about Muslim women "being treated in a
way which was totally unacceptable and must have been very intimidating
and frightening."
Dawkins said she was moved to attend the demonstration after seeing pictures of French police overseeing a woman remove part of her clothing on a beach in Nice.
"I
think it's a frightening image," she said of the photos that emerged
Wednesday. "I find it quite chilling to see an image of a woman
surrounded by men with guns being told to take her clothes off."