After a month of implementation, what about the municipal decree that regulates the conduct of weddings and the successive controversies about its restrictive nature concerning the freedom to express joy according to each person’s customs?
Firstly, the political aspect, which opted for an ideological divide: anti-Maghreb discrimination for some (with the left-wing opposition leading the charge) and applications of ‘law and order’ for others (the right and far-right with a populist twist and allergic to the customs of others).
Moreover, the ‘fake wedding’ that was televised, the national press articles (the local press was more discreet) that gave an oversized spotlight to this issue.
Did it deserve that much attention? Don’t they say too much communication kills communication?
On the other hand, we curiously await the first application of the prescribed penalty (is the postponement to the day after the ceremony really dissuasive?) following uncontrolled expressions of joy or unrestrained shouts of happiness?
And then, upon reflection, would it really be a punishment or a blessing? Maybe an extra night of reflection could prevent hasty “I dos” from turning into successive divorces, as unfortunately, statistics clearly show.
Ultimately, the spouses and their guests will all behave as if attending a princely wedding where etiquette and protocol prevail over emotions?
Of course, we know loud ululations do not sit well with the sociology of the electorate, composed of a significant number of repatriates whom Christian Estrosi eyes with great interest to avoid any ‘marinist’ drift, which explains (but justifies?) this “sheriff” attitude sometimes displayed by the mayor of Nice.
Perhaps it would have sufficed to change the ceremony location, find a place suitable for the presence of several hundred people with cars on the same day, with a natural desire to celebrate with the inevitable few excesses.
The Town Hall’s wedding hall does not correspond to this logistics, nor do the narrow streets of Old Nice, where residents mingle with tourists and businesses. A small imaginative effort would suffice to find a spacious place where some can express themselves without necessarily disturbing others, who might be more sensitive.
There is one point of this decree where lexical contortion gives way to logic that seems indisputable: the prohibition of foreign flags, a practice that contradicts republican principles during a civil act!
For the rest, this story tells and proves that things and events, though they should always have a meaning, also have a counter-meaning and instead of exhibiting common sense, often end in … no entry.
