It has been 155 years since a statue of Napoleon I was installed on the Place de l'Hotel-de-Ville in Rouen.
Until when ?
The new mayor (PS) of the city Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol plans to replace it with a statue of a woman.
"
I assume the strong symbolic dimension of this proposal
", writes the city councilor, who takes advantage of the recent removal of the statue for renovation to launch the debate.
According to a statement, the bronze statue was removed on July 2 because it presented an "
evolutionary crack
" constituting "
a potential danger for users
".
The repair should last a few months, a period that Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol intends to use to launch "
a debate and a citizen consultation
" on the future of the place.
The female figure would thus be "
chosen by the Rouen women and the Rouennais
".
The Gisèle Halimi hypothesis
The councilor already has a name in mind.
“
It would be great for Rouen to be the first city in France to welcome, on Place de la Mairie, a statue or a work of art dedicated to Gisèle Halimi, a figure in the fight for women's rights.
The debate is open !
", He wrote on his Twitter account.
The lawyer, who dedicated her life to the cause of women and the right to abortion, died on July 28 at the age of 93.
Read also: Gisèle Halimi, of all feminist struggles
To those who are worried about the fate of the 7-ton, 4.40-meter-high statue, the mayor assures us that "
there is of course no question of destroying it
".
The work of 1865 by artist Vital Dubray, produced using bronze cannons taken from the enemy after the Battle of Austerlitz, would be moved to another place in the city.
Questioned on Twitter by a refractory Internet user, the mayor reaffirms his will while recalling that the proposal remains "
to be discussed
".
“
I don't see why the most visible and symbolic places, such as the Place de l'Hotel-de-Ville, should be reserved for men
”.
