On the night of Friday (27th) to Saturday (28th) December, a fire completely destroyed the nativity scene set up under the market hall in La Roque-Gageac (Dordogne). Thanks to the intervention of the fire brigade, which had been alerted by a motorist, the market hall and the surrounding chalets remained undamaged. The town council suspects a ‘deliberate act’ and intends to press charges.
The nativity scene, which had been set up there every Christmas for around 20 years, was ‘a remarkable trompe-l’œil work of art designed by a local craftsman’, explained the mayor Jérôme Peyrat on Facebook. It was traditionally erected by volunteers with the help of municipal employees.
The municipality says it will press charges and suspects ‘a deliberate act’ due to ‘the cold, the frost, the humidity, the absence of a candle or an electrical system’. However, this cannot be confirmed at this stage. […]
‘Very badly understood secularism? Violence against a Christian symbol? Blatant imbecility? A bit of all of the above? Whatever the real question is, it will find the same answer,’ wonders Jérôme Peyrat and announces that he will be filing a lawsuit. A new installation is to be set up. ‘We will not be intimidated and will preserve our traditions and values,’ concluded the mayor.
Sud-Ouest ; Le Figaro / La Roque-Gageac (24) : une crèche de Noël, conçue par un artisan, entièrement détruite par un incendie. Le maire suspecte un acte volontaire – Fdesouche
