5 convicted in Corsica clash that sparked burkini tensions

PARIS – A court in Corsica has convicted five people for violence on a beach that was initially believed linked to a woman wearing a full-body burkini swimsuit.

The mayor of Sisco, where last month’s clash occurred, said on France-Info radio Friday he hoped the town could now turn the page on this “painful affair.” Several people were wounded in the violence between a group of sunbathers of North African origin from a nearby town and local villagers.

Mayor Ange-Pierre Vivoni banned burkinis in his town after the violence, though later conceded he didn’t know whether a burkini was involved.

The court in Bastia said Mustapha Benhaddou was sentenced to two years in prison, while two of his brothers and two men from a rival group were given suspended sentences.