Overview

• Sílvia Orriols signed a municipal decree on July 21 banning burkinis at Ripoll’s public pool on grounds of public safety.
• She publicized the ban on social network X and urged neighbouring councils to implement the same restrictions.
• The measure directly clashes with Catalonia’s 2020 Equality Law, which allows full-body swimwear and topless bathing to safeguard gender equality and religious expression.
• The Catalan Ministry of Equality has warned that such a prohibition may breach non-discrimination rules and carry fines of up to €500,000.
• A member of the far-right Aliança Catalana, Orriols had previously requested a regional burkini ban in a 2023 letter and framed her announcement with slogans asserting that the practice “crosses the line.”