In August 2016, the mayor of Cannes banned the swimsuits, citing a possible link to Islamic extremism. At least 20 other French towns, including Nice, subsequently joined the ban. Following this, dozens of women were issued fines, with some tickets citing not wearing "an outfit respecting good morals and secularism"; furthermore, some women were verbally attacked by bystanders when they were confronted by the police. Enforcement of the ban also hit beachgoers wearing a wide range of modest attire besides the burkini. The media reported that in one case, armed police forced a woman to remove the burkini she was wearing over her clothes on a beach in Nice. The mayor of Nice's office denied that she was forced to do so, and the mayor condemned what he called the "unacceptable provocation" of wearing such clothes in the aftermath of the Nice terrorist attack. , the ban enacted by the commune of Villeneuve-Loubet has been suspended by France's highest administrative court, setting a potential precedent for further legal challenges.