In June, 24-year-old Émilie Hallouin was killed after her husband tied her to a high-speed railway track in Beauvilliers, France. Both of them were hit and killed by a TGV. It was her birthday.
Hallouin and her husband Guillaume Gremy, 37, were reportedly separated at the time. They had a 15-month-old child together.
On Monday, Robert Ménard, the mayor of Béziers, France, unveiled a new poster requesting high-speed train lines in Occitanie, his town’s region.
The caption reads, "With the TGV she would have suffered less."
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Ménard was elected as mayor with the help of France's far-right National Front political party. Since being elected in 2014, he has become known for controversial policies that are more and more aligned with the far right.
The "she" in the poster was seen as a reference to Hallouin, whose death made news across Europe. People were outraged by the use of her murder to promote the campaign.
"Vile"
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"When I saw this picture for the first time, I thought it was a fake from a 'Dark Humor' Facebook page. But no, it's unfortunately real.
"Here is the advertising campaign of a misogynist practicing femicide culture. Shame on you, Ménard."
Public figures have demanded action be taken against Ménard and the posters.
"I appeal to the minister @MarleneSchiappa to launch legal proceedings without delay against the odious campaign launched by the mayor of Béziers."
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"The @gouvernementFR would be well advised to dismiss Robert Ménard for repeated disturbance of public order."
"The indignation is essential, but it is also necessary to act: I have a complaint with the Prosecutor of Beziers to ask for the withdrawal of the posters and the prosecution against the authors."
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In response to the outrage from the campaign, Ménard posted a serious of tweets, saying the "paranoid" reactions to the poster "say a lot about the public morality dragging down our country."
"Paranoid and outraged reactions to our poster say a lot about the public morality dragging down our country. The same people would have burned Johnny [Hallyday] in 1960, Charlie Hebdo in 1970, or [Serge] Gainsbourg in 1980. Worrying..."
He said the image refers to "the western movies" and those bringing Hallouin into it were the ones in the wrong.
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