RN Councilman Recites Hail Mary to Denounce Communist Mayor’s Selective Secularism
A National Rally councillor brandished a crucifix and recited prayers at a French town council meeting after his proposal to ban religious symbols was rejected by the communist-led majority.
The incident unfolded during the municipal council session on Thursday, June 11, according to Valeurs Actuelles, after the council rejected an amendment proposed by National Rally councillor Kevin Nader that would have banned the conspicuous wearing of religious symbols by anyone representing the municipality.
Nader had sought to insert a provision into the council’s internal regulations stating that anyone exercising a representative function on behalf of the local government would be prohibited from wearing clothing or symbols that ostensibly display religious affiliation. He presented his proposal while several veiled women were sitting in the public gallery observing the proceedings.
When the communist-dominated council majority voted down the amendment, Nader responded immediately with his theatrical gesture. He declared that since the council refused to operate under the principle of secularism, it would instead be placed under the sign of the cross. He then produced a crucifix from his bag and began reciting the Catholic prayer.
The National Rally councillor later justified his actions on social media, explaining that a deputy mayor had stated she was proud to wear the veil in council meetings. In response to that position, he said, he chose to express his own Catholic faith.
Communist Mayor Denounces ‘Political Crime’
The display provoked an immediate and furious reaction from communist mayor Philippe Bouyssou, who accused Nader of committing what he called a political crime. The visibly agitated mayor claimed the National Rally councillor had crossed all red lines and attempted to stigmatize certain individuals present in the chamber.
Bouyssou characterized the incident as shameful and scandalous, declaring that Nader had reached new heights of misconduct within just a few hours of the council session. He ordered the opposition councillor to leave the meeting immediately.
When Nader refused to depart, the mayor suspended the session and announced his intention to refer the matter to the prefect.
Battle Over Secular Standards
For his part, Nader maintained that the majority’s reaction demonstrated precisely what he had intended to expose: an inconsistent application of secularism by a left-wing municipal government. He characterized the council’s approach as representing variable geometry secularism, applied selectively depending on which religion is involved.
The councillor’s protest highlighted a broader debate over how French secular principles should be enforced in public institutions, particularly when it comes to elected officials themselves rather than civil servants.
National Rally Breakthrough in Communist Stronghold
The controversy takes place against a significant political backdrop. Ivry-sur-Seine represents one of the last remaining bastions of communist municipal control in the historically red belt surrounding Paris. The town in the Val-de-Marne department has been governed by communists continuously since 1925 and remains one of the principal municipalities still administered by the French Communist Party.
The National Rally’s entry into the town council following the most recent municipal elections marked a notable development in this longtime leftist fortress. The list led by Nader secured 11.04 percent of votes in the first round, sufficient to gain seats in the local assembly. This breakthrough has clearly disrupted the established communist political culture that has dominated the town for nearly a century.
The clash illustrates mounting tensions over religious neutrality in French public life and the political realignments occurring even in communities long considered impregnable to conservative and nationalist political movements.
With information from Valeurs Actuelles
