Justice ordered this Friday the town of La Flotte-en-Ré, in western France, to remove a statue of the Virgin Mary from public space, considering that it violates the separation between Church and State.
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Although “the town did not intend to express a religious preference by installing it in 2020,” “the statue presents in itself a religious character”according to the Bordeaux administrative court of appeal.
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Its history dates back to World War II. A family decided to build it as a token of appreciation because their father and son returned alive from the conflict that devastated Europe.
At first, the image, where the phrase “promise of war” is inscribed, was exhibited in a private garden, before a donation in 1983 to this town on the island of Ré, which installed it at a crossroads.
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But, in 2020, a motorist collided with the white statue and the mayor’s office then decided to rebuild it identically and place it in the same location, on a pedestal.
The association for the defense of secularism “Libre Pensée 17” took this decision to court and demanded its withdrawal, under the 1905 law that prohibits the installation of religious symbols in public spaces.
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The CAA of Bordeaux ordonné à la commune de La Flotte-en-Ré le déplacement hors du domaine public d’une statue de la Vierge Marie.
Une fois de plus, des juges se source les accomplices d’associations gauchistes qui veulent destruire les racines chrétiennes de la France.
Honteux! pic.twitter.com/rRs9oKRLru—Nicolas Meizonnet (@NMeizonnet) January 13, 2023
The mayor of La Flotte-en-Ré, Jean-Paul Héraudeau, then denounced a “ridiculous controversy” and assured AFP that the statue was part of the local “historical heritage” and said that it was more of a “memorial”.
The Bordeaux court nevertheless confirmed a decision in the first instance of March 2022 and ordered the commune of 2,800 inhabitants to withdraw “within six months”according to a statement.
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France defines itself as a secular state. Since 2004, it is also prohibited to wear visible religious signs in schools and officials are subject to the principle of “neutrality”.
AFP
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