Overview
- Several newly elected RN mayors removed the EU flag from their town halls, with Carcassonne’s Christophe Barthès posting a video Sunday and Cagnes-sur-Mer’s Bryan Masson sharing a photo Monday, after Harnes did so on March 24 and Canohès followed suit.
- The Alpes-Maritimes prefect reminded Cagnes-sur-Mer’s mayor Tuesday that the prime minister decides flagging on public buildings and that the EU flag must be flown on Europe Day, also pointing out a misplacement of the tricolour on the façade.
- French protocol makes the tricolour the only emblem required on town halls, and the EU flag is mandatory only on May 9, while schools and secondary institutions must display both under the education code.
- Government figures, including Europe minister Benjamin Haddad, condemned the removals as populist and questioned whether RN-led towns would turn down EU funds, as RN leaders defended the acts as legal and symbolic.
- Critics highlighted practical stakes for locals, citing roughly €3.47 million in EU-backed projects at Carcassonne’s hospital and past farm subsidies to Barthès, while residents interviewed in Carcassonne voiced mixed views on the change.