Gilles Platret, mayor of Chalon-sur-Saône (Saône-et-Loire) and LR leader for regional in Burgundy-Franche-Comté, authorized, Monday March 1, the holding of the traditional funfair in his city, defying a prefectural ban.
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"
The City of Chalon estimated that sanitary conditions are now met and that is why, this Monday morning, Gilles Platret signed a decree authorizing the funfair from March 5 to 14
", indicates the town hall in a press release.
At the beginning of February, Platret had already threatened “
not to stop there
” when the prefecture of Saône-et-Loire had signified the ban on the traditional funfair “
without any consultation
”, according to Platret.
“
I don't know when this wreck of the state will end.
But it is an intolerable situation
", he had reacted, assuring that, for him, the fun fair was"
not canceled
".
According to the mayor, the decree signed on Monday is based "
on two additional needs: that of fighting the epidemic crisis by appropriate measures that the showmen are quite willing to take, but also the need to fight against the heavy psychological crisis which is the consequence both of the epidemic crisis and of the measures restricting freedoms which have accompanied it
”.
Platret further believes that "
the state of law and jurisprudence, with the government's desire to territorialize the measures in force, opens in our eyes the possibility of allowing this fun fair
".
"
The State will take its responsibilities
", concludes the mayor, acknowledging that the decree can be appealed to the courts.
Questioned, the prefecture of Saône-et-Loire did not wish to react immediately.
Known for his outspokenness and his mistrust of the current government, Gilles Platret had already authorized, at the end of October, the opening of non-food businesses in his city, thus defying their nationally decreed closure.
The municipal decree had been challenged by the courts.
Chalon prides itself on being the “
only town in France
” to have made fairgrounds “
honorary citizens
”.