Lunch in a school canteen in May 2020 (illustration).

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I. Harsin / Sipa

  • In June 2018, the municipal council with an RN majority, abrogated pork replacement meals, in the name of secularism.

    The administrative court of Nîmes ruled against the law this deliberation.

  • Seized by two associations, the judges believe that the town hall of Beaucaire has not taken into account the general interest and asks the mayor to repeal this deliberation.

  • The judges recognize, however, that "there is no obligation (...) to distribute differentiated meals to its users, allowing them not to consume foods prohibited by their religious convictions".

The administrative court of Nîmesa annulled the decision of the municipality of Beaucaire, in the Gard, refusing the repeal of the provisions removing the replacement meals served in the canteen.

The court had been seized of two applications, introduced by the French league for the defense of human and citizen rights and the international league against racism and anti-Semitism.

These two associations contested the deliberation of June 28, 2018 of the municipal council of the Gard commune.

For the court, the general interest was not taken into account

On the proposal of the mayor Julien Sanchez (RN), the municipality had removed replacement meals, served by the municipal school and extracurricular catering service.

Until then, they were offered to students who did not eat pork because of their religious convictions.

The judges agreed that "there is no obligation for the local authorities managing a public school catering service to distribute to its users differentiated meals allowing them not to consume foods prohibited by their religious convictions".

However, in its judgment, the administrative court "found that the municipality had based its decision to eliminate replacement meals on the sole violation of the principles of secularism and neutrality of the public service".

This "without taking into account the general interest attached to maintaining the previous organization, and with regard to the requirements for the proper functioning of the service and the human and financial resources available to the municipality".

A choice dictated by secularism according to the mayor of Beaucaire

Therefore, the court held that the Beaucaire municipal council had tainted its decision "with an error of law".

He enjoins the mayor to place on the agenda of the next meeting of the municipal council, within four months, a draft deliberation repealing this previous vote.

On social networks, Julien Sanchez clearly hinted at his intention to file a request before the administrative court of appeal.

“I just ran into a pig.

The pig greets the administrative tribunal of Nîmes and asks me to appeal, he wrote.

He would not want France to one day become, because of certain court decisions, an Islamic Republic in the midst of a bill on separatism.

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Justice

Beaucaire: Justice asks the city RN to withdraw its Christmas crib, the mayor files a complaint

Society

Beaucaire: The mayor removes pork-free meals in canteens

  • Languedoc-Roussillon

  • Court

  • Canteen

  • National gathering

  • Secularism

  • Nimes

  • Justice