Nursery at Beaucaire town hall: the municipality claims the support of residents for its maintenance “at 98.56%”

Selon la justice, cette crèche doit être retirée avant ce lundi 23 décembre. F.G. Illustration – Midi Libre

On Friday, December 20, the administrative court ordered the mayor of the town to remove the nativity scene installed within the premises of the establishment within 48 hours. In the emergency, Nelson Chaudon then decided to seek the opinion of his constituents on this opportunity. This Sunday, December 22, the Beaucairois were thus invited to respond to the following question in a referendum: “Are you in favor of exhibiting a Provençal nativity scene in the town hall as has been done for 10 years” ?.

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The result is clear. This Sunday, December 22, the people of Beaucaire were invited, at the initiative of their mayor, to vote on the advisability of displaying a Christmas crib under the stairs of the hall of their town hall, expressly described as “Provençal” by the mayor of the town. A tradition “continuing for 10 years” according to Nelson Chaudon who then asked his constituents, via the organization of a referendum, on the following question: “are you in favor of exhibiting a Provençal nativity scene in the town hall as has been the case for the past 10 years ?”.

This Sunday, December 22, unsurprisingly, almost all of the people who turned out and voted on this subject – 98.56% according to information provided this Sunday evening by the city – voted in favor of keeping the nativity scene within the town hall.

“A cultural, artistic exhibition” for the mayor

A nativity scene that is also the subject of recurring litigation between defenders of secularism and the city of Beaucaire argued that this nativity scene would in no way contravene the principles of secularism and neutrality in that it would only manifest, according to her, a simple “artistic cultural exhibition“, in the words of the mayor of the city.

It should be noted that the result of this referendum, although predictable, remains without consequence on the legal obligations of the municipality.

Since this Friday, December 20, in fact, and in application of an order of the interim relief judge of the administrative court of Nîmes, the city has the obligation to remove its nativity scene within 48 hours. A deadline expiring very soon, this Monday, December 23, and at the end of which she will have to pay a penalty of 1000 euros per day of delay.