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The is seeking to challenge a decision allowing women to wear in local swimming pools in the city of Grenoble, theÌýAnadoluÌýnews agency reported on Wednesday.

On Monday, Grenoble announced it would allow women to wearÌý in the city’s public swimming pools from 1 June, following a modification to its swimwear rules, the French TV channel °Õ¹ó1Ìýreported.

The city’s Greens-led council approved the measure by a 29-27 vote following an almost four-hour-long debate.

It followed the city of Rennes, which is the only city in France to allow the wearing of in public pools.

French interior minister called the city council decision an "unacceptable provocation"Ìýthat went against the republic's "secular values", sayingÌýthat he would challenge it.

À la suite du signalement que le préfet de l’Isère a fait sur mon instruction, le procureur a ouvert une enquête sur de potentiels fichiers illégaux et communautaires tenus par Alliance citoyenne, association qui revendique le port du burkini dans les piscines grenobloises.

— Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin)

He also announcedÌýthat an investigation by the public prosecutor will be opened against Alliance CitoyenneÌý(The Citizens Alliance), a local civil rights group that has campaigned for the wearing of the burkini.

The Isere prefecture, where is located, also raised objections against the municipality with the Interior Ministry and the administrative court, while the regional authority- Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes- declared it would immediately halt public funding to the city, according to The Guardian.

The city'sÌýlocal mayor, Eric Piolle, has been accused by the regional authority’s right-wing president of "doing deals with political Islam to buy votes".

The covers the body from head to toe, except the face, feet and hands, and is worn by observant Muslim women while swimming.

The wearing of the burkini became a topic of debate in France in 2016, when around 30 coastal towns imposed on their beaches, with right-wing figures pushing for a nationwide ban.

A number of Muslim women were by French police in the tourist cities of Nice and Cannes, also in 2016.

The ban was then found , and was subsequently suspendedÌýby France’s top administrative court.

Since 2004, France has foisted a series of bans on Muslim articles of clothing- particularly women's clothingÌý- in the name of .

More recently, the French senate passed a law prohibiting the wearing of the hijab and other religious symbols .