Burkini Ban has been Overturned in France: 5 Lessons to Know and Remember

Why We Should Avoid Sharing Pictures of a Woman Forced to Unveil

This one was a doozy of a lesson for myself and so many others. Towards the culmination of the fever pitch of outrage, Deputy Mayor of Nice (and president of the regional council of Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur) Christian Estrosi threatened to file a lawsuit against anyone – anyone – who shared photos or videos of the police who enforced the burkini ban, saying the photos “provoke defamatory remarks and threats” against police officers.

Yes, really.

The real lesson here, though, was about protecting the rights of the woman targeted by the police – the woman whose photograph of forced unclothing was shared by millions around the world via social media and other mediums. I shared the Daily Mail article with the photo myself. And later, in a discussion with other friends, some who wear a headscarf and others who don’t, we all came to the conclusion that by sharing that photo, we were violating her privacy.

I imagined if someone took a photo of me in a state of undress and shared it around the world, and how it would make me feel. Something to remember the next time we come across a situation like this. How do we respect people versus the flashpoint of a viral photograph in sparking a protest?

Next: What does the law actually say?