The wedding season is coming to an end and, like every year, one thing is clear: too many weddings have given rise to excesses. At the end of August, revelers were arrested in Mantes-la-Jolie (Yvelines) after firing fireworks in the direction of the police station. The groom-to-be never arrived at City Hall and the ceremony was canceled.
Last June, a union was also the scene of violence with the use of mortars in Aulnay-sous-Bois (Seine-Saint-Denis). This was also the case at the start of the year in Épinay-sur-Seine, where the wedding procession blocked the roads, guests held numerous rodeos and set off firecrackers on public roads. There too, the municipality refused to celebrate the wedding. In 2022, a video showing a family surrounded by cars in Saint-Denis caused great emotion.
Although it is appropriate to put their scope into perspective, these ceremonies give suburban mayors a hard time, forced to systematize the use of municipal police. Furthermore, the legislative arsenal does not seem to deter troublemakers.
Each at his own level, the deputy (Renaissance) of Yvelines Karl Olive, the mayor (DVD) of Mantes-la-Jolie Raphaël Cognet and the spokesperson for the Independent Union of Police Commissioners Matthieu Valet draw up a range of solutions to explore. Or even expand.
MP Karl Olive favors “the 1,000 euro deposit”
In 2022, Karl Olive, then mayor (DVD) of Poissy, imagined an original idea to limit the delays and excesses too often observed in his town: spouses will now have to commit to signing a charter of good conduct, applicable to all their guests.
In the event of shortcomings, the town hall plans to hit the wallet. A deposit of 1,000 euros must be deposited by the future bride and groom at the town hall, when the file is registered with the civil registry.
Out of 200 marriages celebrated since the introduction of a deposit, Karl Olive, former mayor of Poissy who became a member of parliament, assures us that “only one caused a problem”. LP/Delphine Goldsztejn
Several hundred euros will be debited in the event of delays or incivility. Almost two years after the adoption of this measure, he draws a positive assessment. “It works,” assures the elected official, who has since joined the National Assembly. Out of 200 marriages celebrated since then, only one has caused problems. The previous year, we counted three in a single month. »
At the same time, the parliamentarian is imagining other avenues. Including a significant increase in fixed fines issued during rodeos or dangerous behavior. “The problem is that today these tickets can only be issued by the national police. However, these officials are not always available. The idea would be to authorize municipal police officers to do so. In Poissy, they are mobilized for each wedding. This is a point on which I constantly discuss with the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin. »
The mayor of Mantes-la-Jolie wants “to have the right not to celebrate unions”
A few days ago, Raphaël Cognet, mayor (DVD) of Mantes-la-Jolie, made numerous media interventions to testify to the incredible excesses perpetrated in his city. The fever has passed, but the chosen one does not budge: to avoid recurrences, we must put pressure on the bride and groom.
“It must first be clarified that overflows are rare. In Mantes-la-Jolie, we have around ten problematic situations out of 240 weddings celebrated. However, we cannot do nothing. Personally, I would like to have the right not to celebrate unions. Today the law prevents us from doing so and we must host the wedding no matter what. But we could imagine, in the future, that the law would be modified. »
To avoid recurrences, Raphaël Cognet, the mayor of Mantes-la-Jolie, believes that pressure must be put on the bride and groom. LP/MG
A shocking proposition. At the beginning of September, the mayor of Montpellier (Hérault) canceled a wedding after excesses. “This would allow us to warn the bride and groom who caused problems during a first ceremony: in the event of a recurrence, they would not have access to town hall,” underlines the elected official. And as a last resort, the municipality will refuse their weddings. It can have a deterrent effect. I am also in the process of writing to the public prosecutor to ask him what legal recourse I have in the case of the bride and groom whose procession recently caused problems in Mantes. Until I have an answer, I will not set a wedding date. My decision may be symbolic, but it allows me to send a firm message. »
The deposit, defended by Karl Olive? Raphaël Cognet doesn’t believe it: “It’s complicated to set up. I have doubts about its feasibility. How do we get the money back? By what right ? And how do we cash it? »
For the police, it is necessary to “seize the vehicles”
Spokesperson for the Independent Union of Police Commissioners (SICP), Matthieu Valet also deplores the recurring excesses observed in marriages. Citing in particular the blocking of highways – so that revelers can dance on the road -, rodeos in town and crazy driving, he sees in these ceremonies a risk for the integrity of pedestrians and his police colleagues, sometimes targeted when they intervene.
The observation of Matthieu Valet, police commissioner: “Seizure means providing a rapid and concrete response to the actions of these troublemakers who are very often known to our services. » Screenshot BFM TV
According to this police officer, the legislation offers the necessary tools… provided it is fully applied. “There is something that works well: it is the seizure of vehicles. The law allows us to confiscate them from infringing motorists and place them in impound pending a court decision. However, magistrates are too often reluctant to validate this seizure. I regret it, because we are talking about cars or large sedans registered in Germany, Poland or Eastern countries, rented by front companies. »
The fines ? “The verbalization on the fly remains without effect, since we cannot go back to the authors or to the companies. Seizing means providing a rapid and concrete response to the actions of these troublemakers who are frequently known to our services. And since this violence often takes place during community marriages, their behavior brings shame on an entire community. »
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