Opposing the captivity of animals, the town of Alençon banned a few days ago the installation of the Zavatta circus and therefore the holding of six shows, scheduled here from this Wednesday evening.
However, this veto did not prevent the company from moving the stone blocks that blocked access to the Herté esplanade, where the circus staff, as if nothing had happened, set up their marquee on Tuesday.
" It's scandalous !
We are on tour with 17 semi-trailers and 50 people!
And while we addressed our request to the town hall a year ago, they granted us their authorization a month ago to finally do an about-face and forbid us to settle in… two days before our arrival!
They knew perfectly well from the beginning that our circus included wild animals (
lions, camels…
).
In truth, their only motivation is clearly political.
It is about making the buzz to flatter environmental and vegan associations.
There is absolutely no legal justification for this decision, ”protests Vincent Justin, in charge of communication for the circus.
Read also Wild animals in traveling circuses, it's over soon
In fact, the prefecture, which has planned to conduct veterinary checks to ensure the proper treatment of animals, has already announced that it "will not involve the police".
A diplomatic way of confirming that the presence of the circus is not illegal and therefore that the performances can be held normally ... No offense to the town hall which, for its part, did not respond to our requests.
More generally, this situation is explained by the legal vagueness linked to the context.
The subject is still under discussion between the Senate and the National Assembly.
In the meantime, case law has lately rather given success to circuses, by challenging municipal decrees aimed at banning them.
