The legal battle surrounding Robert Ménard's poster campaign has once again turned in favor of the City of Béziers. The municipality announced that the administrative court has not ordered any suspension of the posters displayed in public spaces, nor of their dissemination on social media. According to the press release issued by the City, the man who brought the case will also have to pay it 1,000 euros.
The campaign had generated a lot of discussion during the Béziers Feria. On municipal billboards, Robert Ménard appeared with his back to a crowd, accompanied by the slogan: "We love mass, we love women, we love bullfights, we love cops, and you?" A communication that the mayor of Béziers immediately defended , despite criticism targeting in particular the reference to mass, bullfighting and women.
The request to remove the posters was unsuccessful.
According to the City of Béziers, the new legal action was initiated by a man identified as "Mr. C., from Lyon," who requested the suspension of the campaign. The municipality maintains that the administrative court ultimately ordered neither the removal of the billboards nor the deletion of the posts published on its social media accounts.
The City makes no secret of its satisfaction and sums up the decision in one word: "Fail ." It also specifies that the plaintiff will have to pay it 1,000 euros , before clearly stating its intention to continue this communication: "We have never asked anyone to like what we like. But no one will stop us from saying it."
An initial appeal had already been rejected in August.
This is not the first time this campaign has come before the Montpellier administrative court. As early as August 16, a man had urgently petitioned the judge for its withdrawal, arguing in particular that the phrase "we love the mass" seriously violated the principle of secularism.
On August 18, this initial request was rejected. The court notably considered that the urgency required for an emergency injunction had not been demonstrated, since the weekend of August 15 was almost over when the case was filed. The judge also noted that the applicant did not reside in Béziers and was not subscribed to the municipality's Facebook page, concluding that he lacked sufficient standing to bring the action.
A campaign launched in the middle of the Béziers Feria
These posters had accompanied the Feria organized in August. During his opening speech, Robert Ménard had already publicly affirmed his attachment to the traditions of Béziers , in particular to bullfighting, to the Mediterranean identity of the city and to a certain conception of local traditions.
Faced with the criticism sparked by the billboards, the municipality is sticking to its position. Its new press release bears an unambiguous title: "We like it. It bothers people. We'll keep going." And its conclusion is just as clear: "We like it. We display it. And we'll keep going."
