Justice ordered this Friday to the town of La Flotte-en-Réin western France, to remove from public space a statue of the virgin maryconsidering that it violates the separation between Church and State.
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.
Its history dates back to World War II. A family decided to build it as a token of appreciation because his father and son returned alive from the conflict that devastated Europe.
At first, the image, where the phrase “war promise”, 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.
But, in 2020, a motorist crashed into the white 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, by virtue of the 1905 law that prohibits the installation of religious symbols in public spaces.
The mayor of La Flotte-en-Ré, Jean-Paul Héraudeau, then denounced a “ridiculous controversy” and assured the AFP that the statue was part of the local “historical heritage” and said that it was more of a “memorial”.
The Bordeaux court, however, 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”. (YO)
Source: Eluniverso
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