It sits at the entrance to La Flotte-en-Ré but the statue of the Virgin Mary has been the subject of legal action in the name of secularism.
The controversy dates back to May 2020, when a motorist hit and severely damaged the statue. The town hall then decided to rebuild it identically.
When the virgin is back on her feet at the entrance to the town, an association for the defense of secularism “La Libre-Pensée 17” rises up and seizes the administrative court of Poitiers.
Contacted by telephone, the president of the association evokes the law of 1905 which prohibits the installation of monuments of a religious nature on the public domain.
A sensitive subject for some inhabitants of La Flotte-en-Ré who believe that this Virgin is part of the historical heritage of the town.
If there had not been this accident, there would have been no debate, nor even procedure.
Jean-Paul Héraudeau, Mayor of La Flotte-en-Ré–
The conclusions of the public rapporteur are in line with the association for the defense of secularism: the Virgin must be moved. This Thursday, March 3, the administrative court rendered its judgment and “urges the mayor of La Flotte to proceed with the removal of the statue of the Virgin Mary from the communal public domain located on avenue du 8 mai 1945, within a period of six months from the date of modification of this judgment“.
For its part, the association Libre Pensée 17 affirms that it “will continue its actions in defense of secularism, the legal principle of organization of the Republic which makes it possible to avoid religious conflicts.
Report by Malvina Raud and Joël Bouchon
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