In the midst of the Béziers Feria, Robert Ménard launched a poster campaign forcefully embracing local traditions and identity. Mass, bullfighting, support for law enforcement: faced with criticism, the center-right mayor defends his unapologetic stance and refuses to see his city abandon its identity.
"We love Mass, we love women, we love bullfighting, we love cops, and you?" The slogan is deliberately provocative. Displayed in the streets of Béziers alongside other slogans like "Here, we have traditions! And too bad for the Parisian bureaucrats" or "Free yourselves, think Béziers," it sums up Robert Ménard's strategy: to openly defend a local identity and traditions that he believes are too often looked down upon.
Robert Ménard refuses to apologize for loving Béziers
The criticism was swift. Feminist groups and left-wing politicians denounced the campaign as reactionary, even contrary to the spirit of secularism. Robert Ménard, however, remained undeterred. "There are plenty of us here who love all this," he responded, pointing out that his love of Mass didn't prevent him from happily attending a synagogue or mosque when invited. Regarding bullfighting, he also defended the right of those who cherish this tradition to continue practicing it.
On RMC, several commentators praised the initiative. Farmer Didier Giraud saw Robert Ménard as the "standard-bearer" of a France attached to its traditions, while Joëlle Dago-Serry spoke of "the affirmation of a certain traditionalism or conservatism." One thing is certain: the mayor of Béziers fully embraces the cultural battle he is waging. "In Béziers and in the South, we are proud of what we think, of who we are, and of the values we uphold," he insisted, lamenting a political class that is too often "ashamed of what it thinks."
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