Update: Removal of statue in France
In September 2023, the State Council of France (administrative court) ruled that the statue of the Archangel Saint-Michel in front of the Saint-Michel church in Sables-d'Olonne had to be removed since it was a public square and it violated the 1905 French law on secularism. The parish purchased a plot of land from the town hall near the church building for about 3000 EUR and moved the statue to that private property 13 metres away, with an additional cost of 16000 EUR.
The court decision was met with fierce opposition. In fact, over 40,000 people had signed a petition against the removal (OIDAC reported) and public protests were held. Around 200 people gathered around the statue shouting "Don't touch my statue."
Mayor Yannick Moreau: "The ayatollahs of secularism will have pushed back our statue (…), but they will have advanced our desire to defend our culture and our art of living. The handful of radical secularists will have their debunking but the will of the Sablais is respected because the Saint-Michel statue will remain on its place, completely legally."
France has one of the strictest laws in Europe on the public display of religious symbols. Article 28 of the 1905 law states: "It is prohibited, in the future, to erect or affix any religious sign or emblem on public monuments or in any public location whatsoever, with the exception of buildings used for worship, burial grounds in cemeteries, funerary monuments, as well as museums or exhibitions."
Source: 20minutes.fr, La Gazette Drouot, Les Sables, Ouest France, France Info
Image: X