Cannes Bans Nudists
Updated: Saturday, 18 Jul 2009, 1:50 PM EDT Published : Saturday, 18 Jul 2009, 12:19 PM EDT By MIKE BRODY (MYFOX NATIONAL) - French resort town Cannes, home to the world’s most famous film festival, has issued a decree banning naturism on the Mediterranean seafront after wealthy yacht owners complained that naked bathers had begun to get out of hand, Reuters reports .
Nude sunbathing has been tolerated for years on Palm Beach where the exclusive Cannes Yacht Club is located, but the club owners say in recent years people began exposing themselves more visibly to club members, including in front of the restaurant’s windows.
“We organize sailing for children, we have a restaurant, but when the naturists get up from bathing they walk around naked,” a spokeswoman for the club said. “Until now they were tolerated, they were quite discreet, but the problem that triggered the decision was that recently their behavior became more questionable.”
Naturists risk fines of $15 for first-time offenders to as much as $21,135 and jail time for more serious cases if they continue to bathe naked on the beach.
Since nude sunbathing is much more accepted in Europe than the U.S., some people have taken to strange places to lay out naked. One couple in Georgia thought they were safe to take it all off in a local cemetery until an animal control officer stumbled upon them while searching for a stray dog.
Source: Foxcharlotte.com
