The cancellation of this marriage did not go unnoticed. In July 2023, the mayor of the city of Béziers Robert Ménard refused to celebrate the marriage of a 29-year-old French woman to a 23-year-old Algerian man. The latter was then subject to an obligation to leave the territory (OQTF).
“I will not do it !”
The various right-wing councilor then suspected a sham marriage. A few days later, the 23-year-old young man was placed in an administrative detention center before being deported to Algeria. Seven months later, Robert Ménard will be questioned by the Montpellier judicial police on the case.
Questioned this Thursday morning on the set of La Grande interview Europe 1-CNews, Robert Ménard does not hide his astonishment. “Whether this boy is Chinese, Algerian or Armenian is not my problem. My problem is that I am being asked to marry someone who is known to the police. He is wanted by the police to be expelled from France and I am quietly asked to marry him? No, but you’re kidding, I won’t do it!”, he gets annoyed at Sonia Mabrouk’s microphone.
Apply the laws
“It’s no use. I won’t go back” on the decision, he continues. “You know what I risk? Five years in prison, I risk a fine of 75,000 euros and I risk having my mandate as mayor revoked. But are you kidding? We can’t explain to us at the same time that we have to apply French laws”, and make this marriage, adds the mayor of Béziers.
“I’m not asking for a revolution, you know. If we stopped making laws and applied the laws,” we would be on the right track, assures the former journalist. “We just have to apply them. These are common sense measures. When someone has to leave the territory, we give ourselves the means to ensure that they leave the territory,” he concludes.