A Muslim woman who rented a private holiday resort in France was allegedly fined because she swam in the property’s communal swimming pool area while wearing a burkini.
The woman referred to as “Fadila” by United Against Islamophobia in France (CCIF) claims she was made to pay €490 (£445).
The owner said the swimming pool had to be evacuated and cleaned after her swim.
Fadila rented the property near Marseille with her husband and three children.
On the first day of her holiday, she swam with her children while wearing a burkini and did not experience any issues.
However, on the second day, a member of staff at the pool told everyone to get out of the water after he noticed Fadila swimming in a burkini.
The owner of the resort later contacted Fadila saying he had received a complaint from the building’s administration.
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They claimed that a woman wearing a face veil had entered the swimming pool while wearing her clothes, and that she refused to exit the pool when asked to do so.
However, Fadila denies this and said that she was never requested to leave the pool.
She told the CCIF: “I was stunned because no one had stopped me or said anything at all.”
The owner then contacted Fadila’s husband, asking that his wife should avoid swimming for the remainder of their holiday.
The couple also claim that the owner told them that they had to pay for the pool to be emptied and cleaned, as well as for “damages” because the pool was not in use for two days after Fadila swam in it.
Fadila’s husband refused to pay, stating that the pool was never emptied and that it was in use the next day.
That refusal resulted in the owner keeping the couple’s €490 deposit without providing any invoice for pool treatment or other additional charges.
Fadila said: “I was disappointed, shocked, wounded by the fact that someone could be so hypocritical and wicked because of a burkini.”
Despite the owner’s accusations, CCIF argued that Fadila did not pose any hygiene risk because she was swimming in a suit designed for the water, rather than in her normal clothes.
Burkinis have been at the centre of a heated debate in France since 2016.
Cannes banned the “Muslim swimwear” last August, which led to majority of other French holiday resort towns to follow suit.
