Sorry you found my question offensive, however, I do not feel it is ridiculous. What I do find ridiculous is you taking a whole paragraph to not answer my question. My question was, what is the law aboout going naked in France?
Yep, I tend to use five words when one will do on first drafts. So my posts to boards can be long and convoluted. True enough. Sorry about that.
My apologies also for the offensive manner in which I responded. I should probably step back from this discussion as I have overstepped, at the least, the boundaries of polite discourse.
They were not naked in public. As no country has laws, to the best of my knowledge, about the legality of being naked in private the question is moot. On moot issues, I tend to not address the question itself but the idea being expressed by the question. Which I did.
Edited to add:
From a naturist source: "French law does make nudism technically illegal but modern interpretation of the law which is really aimed at exhibitionism with indecent intent, practically rules out the chances of a successful prosecution resulting against a genuine naturist."
Transcript of a related issue:
Since 1993, the concept of "Indecent Exposure" was replaced in the new penal code, by the concept "of sexual exhibition". Article 222-32 states a maximum sentence of one year of prison and 15.000 euros fine for a "sexual exhibition imposed on the sight of others", without going into any other detail.
What led the Minister of Justice of the time Mr. Henri Nallet, to specify that "only the sexual behaviors presenting the character of an exhibition imposed on a third party will fall under the jurisdiction of criminal law, and thus only the attitudes deemed obscene or provocative will be incriminating".
Definition of sexual exhibition: Execution in a public place or in a place accessible to the sight of all, of sexual acts, on oneself or onto another person, and susceptible to offend another person's decency by their public nature. Nudity in itself, without the will of only emphasising a body part with sexual connotations, is not constitutive of the criminal fact.
[ sexual violences, pr. M. Gueut-Develay, CHU of Rennes, Service of Forensic medicine. ].
In 2003, the Natitude association sent to the members of Parliment a manifest demanding the explicit de-criminalization of nudity. A few weeks later, a member of Parliment submitted the question to the Minister of Justice:
Question No.: 16460 of Mr. François Liberti (Appointed MP and Rep. - Herault)
Department Questioned: Justice
Department Assigned: Justice
Question published in the Official Journal of Parliment: 14/04/2003 page: 2861.
Response published in the OJ: 30/06/2003 page: 5244 Heading: Criminal law. Sub-heading: Attacks to the human person Further sub-heading: Sexual exhibition.
Text of the QUESTION: Form Mr. François Liberti, to the attention of Mr. the Minister of Justice, Department of Justice, on the need for de-criminalizing the explicit act of public nudity.
The French law penalizes according to terms' of article 222-32 of the Penal Code "sexual exhibition imposed on others".
The qualification of "sexual exhibition" supposes the meeting of three elements: the material act of sexual exhibition itself, the fact that it was made in public (in a public place or a private place but within the sight of others) and the conscious will to voluntarily offend or by negligence, public decency. This does not correspond at all to the act of practicing naturism. The strict application of this article involves certain pernicious effects. It is unequally (unevenly) applied to the whole of the jurisdiction (comment: France). It does not correspond any more to the evolution of customs and current mentalities, and is lagging compared to the legislations of the neighboring countries.
This is why it is proposed to [the Minister and the Department of Justice] that article 222-32 of the penal code should be specified so as to put an end to the legal blur.
It is asked [the Minister and the Department of Justice] that the penal code be specified so that
in any place which can lend itself to outdoor activities, nautical or of relaxation, simple nudity does not constitute sexual exhibition.