Europe 1 with AFP 12:45 p.m., December 23, 2022

Twenty LR senators propose to modify the law on secularism of 1905 in order to "preserve the cribs" which are "cultural and not religious symbols" and "immemorial traditions of the French nation", in a press release published Thursday.

Led by Stéphane Le Rudulier (LR / Bouches-du-Rhône), around twenty LR senators propose to modify the law on secularism of 1905 in order to "preserve the crèches" which are "cultural and non-cult symbols" and "of immemorial traditions of the French nation", in a press release published Thursday.

The senators have tabled a bill (PPL) in reaction to recent court decisions which ordered the withdrawal of the Christmas cribs installed at the town hall of Perpignan by the mayor RN Louis Aliot and of Béziers (Hérault) whose Mayor Robert Ménard is close to this party.

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Elected officials propose to complete article 28

The League of Human Rights (LDH) had taken legal action in urgent proceedings, considering that these crèches were contrary to the law of 1905. "The symbols of our traditions are attacked by an extremist and wokist political movement which aims to deconstruct what we are: Christmas trees, nativity scenes, santons, galettes des rois and even Easter eggs are targeted”, wrote the senators who authored this PPL.

"In order to preserve the nativity scenes" which are "cultural and non-cultual symbols, of the immemorial traditions of the French nation, (the senators) tabled a bill aimed at modifying article 28 of the law of December 9, 1905 concerning separation of church and state," the statement said.

The elected officials propose to complete article 28 "by adding exceptional cases in connection with the immemorial traditions of France, namely the temporary presence of nativity scenes and Christmas trees, santons, galettes des rois and eggs Easter".

The nurseries of Beaucaire (Gard), whose far-right mayor is Julien Sanchez, and of Béziers are regularly the subject of legal proceedings, but continue to be installed each year by the city councilors.

In Perpignan, the nursery, deemed non-transportable by the town hall, will remain in the town hall and will be dismantled at the start of the school year in January.