A group of over 50 women -- and a few men -- bathed fully clothed at a local beach club in the northeastern Italian city of Trieste on Sunday (August 20) .

The demonstration was organized in support of Muslim women who were criticized the previous Sunday (August 13) for wearing the all-in-one swimsuit known as burkini at the beach.

The historic Pedocin beach resort, where the demonstration took place, is known for its separation of the men's and women's sectors, which dates back to its origin at the beginning of the 20th century.

This separation is guaranteed by a wall -- unique for a beach in Europe -- that male journalists and photographers crossed on Sunday to document the protest happening in the women's section. Demonstrators included a few Muslim women.

Demo after local beachgoers accused Muslim women of bathing in 'stinky clothes'

The previous Sunday (August 13), a group of local beachgoers called for more freedom for women, accusing the Muslim female beachgoers of "scarce hygiene", saying they swam in "stinky clothes" they had worn at home or on public transport.

At the protests over the weekend, demonstrators responded with banners saying: "Which one is more polluting -- a dress or a cruise ship?" referring to the huge cruise ships that dock daily in Trieste.

Other signs said "Biodiversity is beautiful" and "We want to live in peace in Pedocin."

Demonstrators went into the water fully clothed and formed a large "circle of reconciliation."

Some beachgoers in the women's and men's sectors criticized the demonstrators, urging them to "go back home" and, in some cases, used sexist and racist slurs.

Activist denounces discrimination, calls for personal freedom

Nurah Omar, vice president of Trieste's Islamic Cultural Association, slammed criticism faced by the Muslim beachgoers as a form of discrimination.

"If a non-Muslim Italian woman had decided to go to the beach with her clothes on or to cover up for health reasons or because she didn't feel comfortable with her body, there wouldn't have been any discussion," she said, speaking on the eve of the demonstration.

Omar said women should decide which clothes to wear, provided it is a "free personal decision". The demonstration was organized at a grassroots level, mainly through social media, without the sponsorship of associations and parties.

Marco Dreosto, senator and coordinator of the right-wing League party in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region in which Trieste is located, slammed the protest as a "flop" and criticized the Left and members of the local Green party for supporting women wearing burkinis.

Meanwhile Gianfranco Schiavone, president of the Italian Consortium of Solidarity, which supports migrants, cited the European Convention on Human Rights, saying it guarantees the "mandatory freedom of a person to demonstrate their beliefs in public, including through clothing".