“De-Nazification of public space”. This is the evocative title of a question posed by the rebel deputy from Haute-Garonne, Hadrien Clouet, to the Ministry of Culture and published in the official diary on November 29. The elected official wants to alert the Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul-Malak, about “the urgency of changing the names of the streets in homage to the Nazis and French collaborators.”
The deputy cites “many” surnames that adorn the streets of France, such as the names of Alexis Carrel, “a Hitler (…) who called for the extermination with gas of populations considered ‘inferior'” in Perpignan, Avignon or Clermont-Ferrand , or that of Paul Morand, “implacable anti-Semitic writer (…) who can be found in the streets of Niort, Limoges or Le-Péage-de-Roussillon”.
“Infamous titles that harm the country”
“Even today, sympathizers of the Vichy regime, followers of Nazi theses and theories, eugenicists, racists and anti-Semites, give names to public spaces,” laments the rebel. “Children grow up with her last name on a street sign, mailers recall the memory of her in the form of a postal address, tourists refer to her to find their way around,” he continues.
And to conclude: “In short, its existence remains, not under a proscribed force dedicated to civic education, but in a positive way as a continuous and discreet tribute.”
According to him, these situations do not exist by “municipal teams” because they are not responsible for “decade-old decisions” and do not “have the economic means to authorize a historical investigation of urban titles.”
He puts two questions to Rima Abdul-Malak: “Do you intend to make an inventory of the Nazis and collaborators recognized by the Nation on your streets, to inform the municipalities concerned? Do you plan to provide the municipal teams with encouragement and technical support support to rename these infamous titles that are damaging the country?The Minister now has two months to respond to the MP.
Source: BFM TV
