The town hall of Blanc-Mesnil (Seine-Saint-Denis) wants to save money to be able to rebuild the infrastructure damaged during the riots. A decision that is not unanimous.
The municipality of Blanc-Mesnil (Seine-Saint-Denis) has taken a radical decision. In order to recover funds for the reconstruction of its city after the recent riots, the municipality has decided to cancel all the festivities around the 14th July. No ball or fireworks for the inhabitants, this Thursday 13th July. But that’s not all: the town hall has also announced the abolition of “Beach Mesnil”, a beach and a swimming pool set up only in the summer for families who do not go on vacation.
“The savings made will make it possible to repair the damage committed by the rioters” , indicated the municipality on posters, according to RMC. Le Blanc-Mesnil, like many other towns in France, was seriously affected by the riots that followed the death of young Nahel, shot dead by a policeman in Nanterre, on June 27th.
Avoid raising taxes
Questioned by RMC this Thursday 13th July, Thierry Meignen assures that this decision “is not a punishment”. The senator from Seine-Saint-Denis, president of the municipal majority of Blanc-Mesnil, explains that the young people who degraded the infrastructure are well known to the town. “They could say thank you, they don’t, at least they don’t burn the equipment we financed for them,” said the elected official.
Referring to the “ingratitude” of the rioters, Thierry Meignen indicates that the savings recovered through the cancellations of the summer will be used for reconstruction. “We have to cut services if we don’t want to raise taxes,” he argues.
A “double penalty for the working classes”
But this decision is not unanimous within the local political class. “The mayor is penalising part of the population for a few rioters, it’s a collective punishment,” reacted PCF MP Soumya Bourouaha, according to CNews. She particularly regrets the disappearance of “Beach Mesnil”, “an initiative that brings joy to an already weakened population”.
Ici à #BlancMesnil on « punit » toute la population, dont la moitié ne part pas en vacances. Insupportable !
Double peine pour les classes populaires ! pic.twitter.com/GRG3QKCORX— Fabien Gay (@fabien_gay) July 12, 2023
On Twitter, the senator from Seine-Saint-Denis Fabien Gay (PCF) makes the same observation: “We punish the entire population, half of whom do not go on vacation. Intolerable! Double punishment for the popular classes!”
