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.
On Monday, Robert Ménard, the mayor of Béziers, France, unveiled a new poster requesting high-speed train lines in Occitanie, his town’s region.
#Béziers #TGV #occitanie #lgvoccitanieoui Notre nouvelle campagne d'affichage débute aujourd'hui !
The caption reads, "With the TGV she would have suffered less."
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.
In June, a woman called Emily was killed after her husband tied her to a train-track. Today, a far-right mayor in F… https://t.co/DqX2D0cvaa
Immonde https://t.co/1Tj2C2sYZl
"Vile"
Lorsque j'ai vu cette image pour la première fois, j'ai cru que c'était un fake provenant des pages "Humour noir" d… https://t.co/BtDYKugUih
"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.
J'en appelle à la ministre @MarleneSchiappa pour que des poursuites judiciaires soient engagées sans délai contre l… https://t.co/Zhs1Y2HmK2
"I appeal to the minister @MarleneSchiappa to launch legal proceedings without delay against the odious campaign launched by the mayor of Béziers."
Le @gouvernementFR serait bien inspiré de révoquer Robert Ménard pour trouble réitéré à l’ordre public. cc… https://t.co/VBPXKJAdeq
"The @gouvernementFR would be well advised to dismiss Robert Ménard for repeated disturbance of public order."
L'indignation est indispensable mais il faut aussi agir: j'ai déposé plainte auprès du Procureur de Béziers pour de… https://t.co/zYEFafLhYU
"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."
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."
Les réactions outrées et paranoïaques à notre affiche en disent long sur l'ordre moral qui plombe le pays. Les même… https://t.co/bK2nyy3N6p
"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.
Cette image fait référence à l'univers du western. Qui peut le préciser à mesdames @laurossignol , @auroreberge o… https://t.co/7qGXuQsYHd
J'ai honte pour @laurossignol qui ose mêler une victime d'un fait divers horrible à notre campagne. .. #Béziers #TGV