Burkini Ban Photo Sparks 'Wear What You Want' Beach Party Protest In London

LONDON (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Some 30 demonstrators have gathered in London to protest local French bans of the body-covering burkini swimsuit.

The protesters threw a "wear what you want" beach party outside the French Embassy to make the point that it was unjust to tell women what to wear. The demonstrations came a day after images on social media appeared to show uniformed French police requiring a woman to take off her tunic.

The pictures elicited shock and anger. Among the demonstrators was 40-year-old Jenny Dawkins, a curate at All Saints Church in Peckham.

She said that whatever the reason behind the ban, it doesn't justify, "men with weapons standing over a woman telling her what not to wear. That's not a sight that any of us should stand for."

Supporters of the movement were tweeting photos of the event Thursday morning.

Mayor David Lisnard instituted a burkini ban in the French resort town of Cannes in late July, CBS News reported. Those who violated the ordinance would be subject to fines of up to 38 euros (roughly $42.)

The mayor called the burkini "the uniform of extremist Islamism, not of the Muslim religion," according to CBS News.

The ban comes after the July 14 attack in Nice, France, where 84 people were killed and more than 200 wounded when a large truck plowed through a crowd of revelers gathered for Bastille Day fireworks.

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