On Sunday, 29 March, after his first municipal council and his election as mayor, the National Rally elected official removed the European flag from the pediment of the Hôtel de Rolland. This was a symbolic gesture but also significant of his party’s relationship with the European Union.
Gilles Ivaldi, a CNRS research fellow at the Center for Political Research of Sciences Po (CEVIPOF), is an expert on radical right-wing movements and the populist phenomenon in Europe. In a publication in the international league against racism and anti-Semitism, “Le droit de vivre”, he highlighted the rejection of Europe as a key feature of the National Rally (RN).
The act of replacing the European flag with the French flag was seen as a bold move by the new mayor of Carcassonne, Christophe Barthès, but it sparked controversy and debate across the nation. The Democrats, a European Democratic Party condemned the action calling it political cowardice disguised as pride. This move was criticized by the French Minister of Europe, Benjamin Haddad, as populist, showing that the RN has not changed.
The removal of the European flag and the display of multiple French flags in Carcassonne were met with mixed reactions. However, legally, there was nothing wrong with the action. French law does not specifically regulate the flagging of town halls, although it is customary for the French national flag to adorn public buildings.
Despite the controversy, Christophe Barthès’ decision was not illegal, and the presence of both the European and French flags on Carcassonne’s schools shows that there is room for both symbols in the city.
