THE IMAGE. In Rouen, the “Palais de justice” metro station has changed its name
By Valentin Lebosse
Published on
Regular users of Rouen tramway (Seine-Maritime) may have already noticed: the “Palais de justice” station has just been renamed. It now bears the name “Courthouse – Gisèle Halimi”.
“#EngagementTenu”, a tweeted Nicolas-Mayer RossignolSaturday August 27, 2022. The mayor announced this change of name on December 17, 2021, as part of the return of the statue of Napoleon, place de l’hôtel de ville.
A long controversy
The figure of Gisèle Halimi (1927-2020), a famous lawyer and feminist activist, found herself at the heart of the public debate in Rouen in September 2020. Two months after the removal of the statue of Napoleon, left for a long restoration.
Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol then proposed moving the equestrian monument elsewhere in the city and replacing it with a “female figure”, in order to improve the representation of women in the public space. The city councilor blows the name of Gisèle Halimi, who died two months earlier. And attracts the wrath of his political opponents, especially on the right.
A tram station instead of a statue
However, in accordance with his commitments, Nicolas-Mayer Rossignol will leave it to his constituents to settle this debate, through a citizen vote. As we know, the voters voted largely (68%) in favor of the return of the emperor to his pedestal. And the statue has indeed returned to its original location, at the end of last July.
However, the vote also brought out a majority (65.6%) for “a better place for women in the public space, whether through the naming of streets, squares and surrounding gardens”. Hence the name change. Failing to have her statue in the town hall square, Gisèle Halimi is now her tram station.
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