A far-right French mayor has been accused of censorship after cancelling a play centered on a migrant's experience. The play, titled Passeport, depicts the journey of a young man who wakes up with no idea who he is after being beaten and left for dead in the Calais refugee camp. With only an Eritrean passport in his possession, he decides against making the perilous journey across the English Channel and leaves the camp with two others as he attempts to integrate in French life and obtain papers to remain.
Mayor's Decision Sparks Outrage
Recently elected far-right mayor Florian Azéma cancelled the showing in Castres, south-east France, on the 2027 national tour. He dismissed Passeport as political propaganda that had no place on the town's cultural programme, sparking protests and accusations that the National Rally (RN) party is engaging in cultural censorship.
The cancellation has also been discussed in French parliament. Culture minister Catherine Pégard said: “I would like to remind everyone that freedom of artistic expression is protected and enshrined at national level by the law.”
Playwright Condemns 'Trumpish' Approach
The Anglo-French playwright behind the show, Alexis Michalik, branded the mayor's actions as 'Trumpish', and said that cultural programming is 'neither rightwing nor leftwing' but a cornerstone of democratic life. He told The Guardian: “They [the RN] have been saying all along: ‘we respect the independence of culture and free speech, blah, blah, blah,’ then even on a local level they show they do not. So we can imagine what would happen on a wider scale. It’s quite similar actually to what’s happening in the US. It’s a very Trumpish approach.”
Mayor Defends His Decision
Azéma has backed his decision by saying the play featured 'the promotion of illegal immigrants and a rather strange depiction of the police'. He told Agence France-Presse: “Obviously this does not correspond to what I stood for during the election campaign.”
