The equestrian statue, in restoration for more than a year, could return to its pedestal in front of the Town hall or be moved and replaced by a female figure.
“What if we give a ruling?”, encourages Rouen town hall on his website. Since Monday, December 6 and until Wednesday evening, the inhabitants of the prefecture of Seine-Maritime are invited to vote online on the future development of the Town Hall square. Should the equestrian statue of Napoleon 1st, in restoration for over a year, return to its pedestal, or should it be moved and replaced by a female figure?
In July 2020, the majestic statue of Napoleon, which had sat since 1865 in front of the Town Hall, was deposited for restoration. A few weeks later, the mayor PS Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, who is attached to “Restore equality in the public space”, proposed on Twitter to replace it with a female figure. “Personally”, he “Would find great” than “Rouen is the first city in France” to honor the lawyer and feminist activist Gisèle Halimi.
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“Shared vegetable garden“, “Scent trail” Where “Insect hotel”?
“Today, only 5% of street names are feminine, and hardly any emblematic street, place or very visible place has a feminine name in Rouen (apart from rue Jeanne d’Arc), deplores the town hall. This “invisibilization” of half of humanity is not trivial and echoes the inequalities that remain between women and men “.
The City has therefore launched a “Citizen consultation”. In recent weeks, the inhabitants of Rouen have been able to participate in four conferences as well as two cultural visits on the statuary history of Rouen. “A micro-sidewalk has been created on the square and in the city center for passers-by», Specifies the town hall. Finally, three workshops enabled a panel of twenty citizens to work on the project of “renaturation»Of the Town Hall square: Rouen residents will be able to choose to install, on the forecourt, a “Shared vegetable garden“, a “Scent trail”, or “An insect hotel”. It is also proposed to fit out “a ‘street-plaza’ for skateboarders“…
While many historians have castigated a “disastrous idea”, an online petition has gathered more than 21,000 signatures against the replacement of the statue. “Let them not play the joke on us by saying that it is not a question of debunking Napoleon !, exclaims Jonas Haddad, president of the Republicans of Seine-Maritime. Move his statue to an island – this is one of the proposals, Editor’s note – it means making one of the greatest figures in the history of France invisible. It is also playing the game of extremes, by validating the theses of those who say that our country is being scuttled, that it is in a culture of repentance ”.
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City councilor in charge of heritage and matrimony, Elizabeth Labaye is also a history professor. “There is no spirit of ‘cancel culture’, she defends herself. But our museums are full of statues which were in public space at one time … We need female figures who bring together: we have already found some fifty inspiring women from Rouen, both artists and sportswomen and resistance fighters. “ “Proof that the statue is scheduled to return to Rouen”, the assistant will go “Thursday at the foundry where it is restored, to choose the patina” : “You don’t put 200,000 euros into restoring a statue and then unbolt it!”, she argues. In any case, we will not give it to Éric Ciotti or to other towns which are already asking for it ”.
The results will be made public early next week, on December 13 or 14. “The City will respect the vote of the inhabitants, whatever the outcome of the vote, promises Elizabeth Labaye. We are already very happy to have changed the debate on the invisibilization of women, not only in Rouen but throughout France ”.
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