It is indeed possible to collect funds on the public highway in Maisons-Laffitte (Yvelines). The Administrative Court of Versailles confirmed it last week by canceling a municipal decree made in November 2023.
The latter submitted charities wishing to carry out information and awareness campaigns to the obligation to inform the municipality beforehand. He also prohibited calls for public generosity.
This decision, Jacques Myard, The mayor (LR) of the City of the Horse, had motivated it by the large number of associations seeking to collect funds and by a “disorder” caused during an awareness campaign. The Human Rights League had decided to attack the decree in the name of freedom of expression and association.
Freedom of association against abusive canvassing
The administrative court considered that the city of Maisons-Laffitte had not brought “justifications to demonstrate the existence of disorders occurring on public roads”. He also underlines in his decision that an isolated event such as the incident mentioned in the decree “is not enough to justify a permanent prohibition covering the entire municipal territory”. He concluded that the mayor of Maisons-Laffitte could not take such banning measures, “as soon as they are neither proportionate, nor suitable nor necessary”.
“There have been abuses and scams”
Joined this Thursday, Jacques Myard says it takes note of this court decision and will not appeal. But the elected official, who has run the city for 36 years, remains on his opinion and believes that the “League for Human Rights, entitled in his primary and retrograde ideology, has devoted his action”.
According to him, “this decree aimed to protect from abusive canvassing. Because there have been abuses and scams most often aimed at the most vulnerable among us that are the elderly. We will continue to warn about it ”.
The motivations of the court are worth for the cancellation of another municipal decree, taken in Triel-sur-Seinethat one. In May 2024, the mayor (without label) of the city, Cédric Aoun, had decided to ban any gathering of two or more people in the name of public tranquility, security and health. In vain therefore.
