Shock over de Gaulle statues vandalised ahead of key WWII commemoration

Politicians have expressed outrage over two cases of vandalism involving statues of former president Charles de Gaulle one in the north of France, with the words slave trader sprayed on, the other in the Seine Saint Denis area near Paris.

The statue of General Charles de Gaulle, pictured before ceremonies to mark the end of World War II, in Paris, France 8 May 2020 REUTERS - POOL

Politicians slammed the acts of vandalism on social media, pointing to the fact that they happened just a few days before Thursday's commemoration paying tribute to Charles de Gaulle's 'appeal' on 18 June,1940, to resist the Nazi occupation.

The president of the Hauts-de-Seine region, Xavier Bertrand published a photo of the vandalised bust of Charles de Gaulle in the town of Hautmont (Nord) on Monday.

The member of the Republicans party qualified the act as "scandalous" in his post on Twitter.

One photo showed the de Gaulle's face painted yellow, the other photo shows the words "slave trader" spray painted in red capital letters, on the back of the statue.

"Just a few days before the commemorations of the 18 June, where we should remember that Charles de Gaulle kept the flame of resistance alive, the vandalism of this statue at Hautmont is scandalous," Bertrand wrote.

Quelques jours avant les commémorations de l’appel du #18juin, à l’heure où nous devons nous souvenir que le Général #DeGaulle a fait vivre la flamme de la résistance, la vandalisation de cette statue à Hautmont est scandaleuse. Cela appelle des sanctions fortes ! pic.twitter.com/jdtaMNU48b

— Xavier Bertrand (@xavierbertrand) June 15, 2020

The act of vandalism in the town of 15,000 residents comes against a backdrop of ongoing anti-racist protests and the removal of statues representing figures throughout history accused of their participation or defense of slavery.

Numerous statues have been toppled in the United Kingdom and Italy.

It comes on the heels of days of anti-racist protests which began in the United states following the death of George Floyd during his arrest by white police officers, on 25 May.

Another act of vandalism was reported in the community of Pavillons-sous-Bois (Seine-Saint-Denis), north of Paris, last Saturday, in which the statue of General de Gaulle was painted yellow, as well as a monument to the battle of Bir Hakeim.

Les Pavillons-sous-Bois : la statue du Général de Gaulle dégradée ainsi que la plaque commémorative de la bataille de Bir-Hakeim. Quelle pitié ! pic.twitter.com/aOIQdRrLyU

— Philippe Dallier (@philippedallier) June 13, 2020

"Here in Pavillons-sous-Bois, the statue of General de Gaulle vandalised, as well as commemorative plaque to the battle of Bir-Hakeim. What a pity," wrote Philippe Dallier, a local senator for the Republicans (LR).

"I don't know if this is in connection with the protests around the country and the toppling of historical statues around the world, or if it's just simply an act of stupidity, but in any case, it's not acceptable," the Republican mayor Katia Coppi told Le Parisien daily newspaper.

French President Emmanuel Macron clearly stated in his televised address on Sunday that no historical statue would be removed.

"The Republic will not wipe and name or trace from its history," he said.

Fight against discrimination

He did however acknowledge the need to intensify efforts to "combat racism, antisemitism and other forms of discrimination".

In an op-ed in Le Monde newspaper on Saturday, the former prime minister Jean-Marc Ayrault suggested renaming two rooms at the National Assembly (parliament) and the finance ministry which both carry the name Colbert, "author of the black code".

The Code Noir was one of the many laws inspired by Jean-Baptiste Colbert, first minister of state under King Louis XIV, published in 1685.

Anti-racist groups have begun calling for the removal of some statues, such as ones of Colbert in relation to the history of the slave trade but so far none have mentioned Charles de Gaulle.