Nudist Resort in France Creates Blacklist

The Cap d'Agde is known as 'naked city' because it is the capital of nudism in the Mediterranean where you can dine, shop, drink, and even swim on its three mile beach, just as nature intended. The holiday camp Centre René-Oltra, is one of the largest and most successful resorts for nudists in the area. France has a generally relaxed view about nudism. However, where once the area was an accessible one for whole families who practised nudism, in recent years there has been growing concern about the increase in sex shops and related night-clubs that have sprouted up. Perhaps with a view to trying to spruce up the image of the area, the René-Oltra started to keep a list of those nudists whom they considered ‘undesirable’ from their resort. The affair arose because one prospective client who tried to make a reservation at the centre was refused admission. The disgruntled bather made a complaint to the personal data protection agency in France, the Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertés (CNIL). During the progress of their investigation the CNIL found that the Centre was maintaining a list of persons they considered ‘undesirable’, included on which was the name of the complainant. Their investigation concluded that the Centre had every right to maintain such a list, provided they could demonstrate ‘objective’ reasons for excluding particular persons. These reasons might relate to an outstanding debt, a failure to adhere to hygiene rules, or to respect a person’s privacy and tranquillity, or to fail to respond the obligatory requirement to be nude. As a general rule, visitors to the resorts are only permitted to wear clothing during inclement weather. The CNIL stated that any exclusion of visitors on grounds of sex, health, or religion would be strictly forbidden. The use of such a ‘blacklist’ was also only permitted with the prior authorisation of the CNIL, to ensure that only suitable exclusion criteria were being used.