Women in burkinis went to the pools twice at the initiative of the Alliance Citoyenne rights group to challenge a city ban on the full-body swimwear.
According to a statement from the town hall, the lifeguards at the pools asked for the shutdown because “they are there to maintain safety and they can’t do that when they have to worry about the crowds”. It added: “We are working towards a positive solution.”
Eric Ciotti, a member of parliament of the right-wing Republican Party, said on Twitter the burkini “has no place in France where women are equal to men”.
But Alliance Citoyenne likened the women’s action to that of American civil rights icon Rosa Parks.
Two public swimming pools in southeast France have been closed amid controversy over a burkini ban protest as temperatures continue to soar across the country.
France – which has Europe’s largest Muslim population – was the first European country to ban the full veil in 2011.
