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Rouen people vote for the return of their Napoleon statue

2021-12-13T16:28:24.954Z


In a citizen consultation launched by the mayor PS Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, 68% of them voted for the return of the statue on its plinth, where it had sat since 1865.


It is a victorious campaign for Napoleon.

After multiple skirmishes between the town hall, the opposition, historians, the majestic equestrian statue of the Emperor, in restoration for more than a year, will find its place on the forecourt of the Town Hall of Rouen.

The Rouen people have decided: in a citizen consultation launched by the mayor PS Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, 68% of them voted for the return of the statue on its plinth, where it had been sitting since 1865.

"Beautiful news for this bicentennial year!"

“It's a real snub for the mayor!

exclaims Jonas Haddad, president of the Republicans of Seine-Maritime.

Replacing the statue of Napoleon with that of Gisèle Halimi was one of his first announcements ... Fortunately, the people of Rouen have shown common sense. They didn't want to be the first to unbolt a historic statue! ”

Same relief for the historian Thierry Lentz, director of the Fondation Napoléon:

"The result is final," he

is satisfied.

Great news for this bicentennial year!

This shows that when we explain it to them, people mobilize for their history and their heritage.

Napoleon was one of the driving forces behind Rouen's economic recovery, he has been there two or three times, and we are impatiently awaiting the return of the statue to its plinth ”

.

Read also In Rouen, residents invited to vote on whether or not to keep the statue of Napoleon

Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol sees things from a whole different angle.

“4000 votes is the biggest turnout in the history of participatory democracy in Rouen

,” says the mayor.

And we have moved the lines: more than 65% of voters validate an orientation that we have been carrying since the start of the mandate, wishing

'that a better place be given to women in the public space, whether through the name of the surrounding streets, squares and gardens'.

We are therefore going to do even more: after the new Flaubert district, all the streets of which will have female names, we are in the process of renaming all the halls of the Palais des sports. We will also have the first basketball court with a female name

”.

"Explaining the dark side of Napoleon"

Asked about

"the renaturation"

of the Town Hall square, which is currently very mineral, 77.3% of voters were in favor of

"more than 40% greening"

, but a large majority refused

"shared vegetable gardens. ”

Or other

“ insect hotels ”

proposed by the town hall.

On the base of the statue of Napoleon, underlines Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol,

"the people of Rouen and Rouen are mostly in favor of installing an explanatory element allowing this statue to be placed in its historical and political context"

.

How will this leaflet be written?

"We are going to work with historians

," answers the city councilor.

People know very well that Napoleon had his dark side, we will of course also explain his links with Rouen, perhaps in the form of an audio file, to which we will have access with a QR code ”

.

To read also Thierry Lentz and the statue of Napoleon in Rouen: "It is indeed the respect for our history which is at stake"

Finally,

"more than a thousand proposals"

, rejoices the mayor, were received concerning temporary arrangements (sculptures or ephemeral works) on the base of the statue and around, only during the period of restoration.

"These proposals

, concludes the town hall,

will now be studied in detail, and we will see if some overlap

.

"

In the meantime, on the side of the opposition,

"we will not forget this attempt"

.

“We will remain vigilant, especially on the historical notice that will be affixed to the base

, insists Jonas Haddad.

Because this idea of ​​getting rid of Napoleon corresponds to an ideological, indigenous and woke software. One day or another, it will come back in another form ... "

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2021-12-13

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