The green mayor of Bordeaux says he wants to "keep the magic of Christmas"

Pierre Hurmic, June 10, 2020, in Bordeaux.

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• Pierre Hurmic is justified this Friday by explaining wanting to preserve public money, the overall cost of the Christmas tree amounting to 60,000 euros.

• His deputy in charge of nature in the city assures us that “we will preserve the magic of Christmas.

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• "We are in the field of pragmatism and sobriety", continues the elected to justify himself.

The "bad buzz" of the Christmas tree, shakes the political re-entry of the new mayor EELV of Bordeaux.

After announcing Thursday at his back-to-school press conference that he was giving up the traditional Christmas tree on the Place Pey-Berland, because he no longer wanted “dead trees” in the town squares, Pierre Hurmic said created controversy in Bordeaux and beyond.

The Christmas tree in Place Pey Berland is the dead tree that hides the forest of our back-to-school proposals in #Bordeaux.

Saving € 60,000 + induced ecological and economic costs without giving up the magic of Christmas, this is what we are proposing.https: //t.co/fLOYafzWZM

- Pierre HURMIC (@PierreHurmic) September 11, 2020

The new mayor has been trying since Friday morning to put out the fire.

After an appearance on LCI, he drew a press release at midday.

“Pierre Hurmic and the municipal team want to keep the magic of Christmas without wasting public money,” writes the municipality.

But why spend nearly 60,000 euros to which are added significant induced costs (ecological and economic)?

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Accused of wanting to "kill the magic of Christmas"

Reactions have multiplied since Friday, especially on Twitter, and the green majority in Bordeaux is accused of wanting to "kill the magic of Christmas" or even to attack a "2,000-year-old tradition" ...

The competition for the most ridiculous and caricatural idea is launched between the green mayors!

@PierreHurmic big winner of the competition 🥇

The urgency is not to mourn the “dead trees”, but to take concrete measures for the people of Bordeaux, what are you waiting for?

https://t.co/IywyJQZinC

- Clara Feufeu Rozière (@CFeufeuRoziere) September 11, 2020

#Bordeaux

Stupeur after the decision of my successor @PierreHurmic to delete the Christmas tree.

The end of year celebrations are universal.

A tree for the happiness of children.

- Nicolas Florian (@ nflorian33) September 11, 2020

The Christmas tree, the Tour de France .... so many elements of our culture and French heritage that the Greens, once at the head of certain cities, want to suppress by pure ideology.

1/2

- Yves Foulon (@Foulon_Yves) September 11, 2020

Contacted by

, the new deputy at the town hall of Bordeaux, responsible for nature in the city and peaceful neighborhoods, Didier Jeanjean, assures us that "we will keep the magic of Christmas since we are going to light trees on the square , but they will be living trees, there will no longer be a dead tree in the middle of the square.

And associations will be there to liven up the square, with choirs.

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"Pragmatism and sobriety"

By making this decision, “we are neither on the ground of ecology, nor on that of secularism, nor on that of the fairyland of Christmas, but on that of pragmatism and sobriety, continues Didier Jeanjean.

In absolute terms, yes, I am against cutting a tree that is 15 m high and making it cross France on a heavy truck, but we have to be honest, this is not what will transform the ecological future of Bordeaux. .

Our argument is not there.

What they say is that there are 60,000 euros that are spent to put a dead tree in the middle of the square, while there are alternatives.

And last year, it’s bad luck, he fell because of the storm, he didn’t even stay until Christmas.

So, of course, it will be a little less masterful, there will not be a big tree in the center of Bordeaux, but we are right in our boots, we have decided that with the services of the town hall and with the elected officials.

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"Surprised that on a detail like this, it takes on such a scale"

The deputy also says he was "surprised" by the extent of the controversy.

“We knew that we were going to face a flood of criticism, it falls on the Christmas tree… What surprises me is that the opposition is seized of a controversy launched by an extreme right-wing media .

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"I'm starting in politics," continues Didier Jeanjean, elected for the first time two months ago.

But I am surprised that on a detail like this, it takes on such a scale.

For me, this controversy falls apart because we do not question anything.

On the other hand, it is possible that we did it wrong, and in the end of all the subjects discussed during the press conference, today we are only talking about the Christmas tree, it's a shame .

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Finally, on the petition launched in favor of maintaining the Christmas tree, the elected representative wondered: "By whom is it made, and for what purpose?"

"However, he assures us that" we are here to listen to the inhabitants, and depending on the scope it will take, we will see what follow-up to give it.

If a majority of people do not agree, we must question ourselves, but we will not question our decision for Christmas 2020. The choice is made.

However, depending on the feedback, we will see for the following Christmases.

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Bordeaux

Bordeaux: The new mayor EELV wants to remove the Christmas tree, "a dead tree", from Place Pey-Berland

• Pierre Hurmic

• Christmas tree

• Tradition

• Aquitaine