Tough Love in Cannes

 

I woke up this morning to some news shared on Instagram by the Mayor of Cannes, David Lisnard.

In his words:

“These two teenage minors had degraded green spaces. Intercepted by the Cannes municipal police and then summoned with their parents to the town hall, I had them carry out work of general interest (in parallel with any possible criminal procedure at the disposal of the judicial authority).

This is how they spent their week of school holidays taking care of green spaces, especially in our Cannes cemeteries, where many of us will visit next week, for All Saints’ Day. They were well behaved and did helpful work.

We are multiplying these works of general interest in Cannes, adapted to the degree of malice the acts of young people arrested by the municipal police. I am convinced that an appropriate and immediate sanction can in some cases put minors on the right track.

In a country where we are too accustomed to laxism, we have to teach them that every mistake leads to a punishment. In a society where the myth of the king as individual as a mere consumer of public space has been overly cultivated, it is to learn that there is no freedom without responsibility.

In a time of economic difficulties for so many French people, it is not the taxpayer to pay for the degradation caused by others.

Civilization means freedom and responsibility, order and justice.”

I found this to be an impressive decision. Without diving into politics, this struck me as a mindset that has been fading in much of modern society—yet perhaps it’s beginning to reemerge. It also felt very reflective of the regional character and the kind of values one encounters while living in France.

Every mayor seems to have their own approach, and one thing I’ve noticed over the years is that many—regardless of political affiliation—are deeply protective of their citizens and communities. Mayor David Lisnard of Cannes appears to embody that same pragmatic, common-sense leadership style, consistent with many of his past decisions.