The Line 11 of the Paris Metro will be extended to Rosny-Bois-Perrier. In this context, a new station is to be renamed “Serge Gainsbourg.” A petition has been launched to oppose this tribute to the artist.
It’s a tribute that doesn’t sit well with everyone. As part of the extension of Line 11 of the Paris Metro and the creation of six new stations between Mairie des Lilas and Rosny-Bois-Perrier, a stop will be named “Serge Gainsbourg” in reference to the artist who died in 1991. According to the project, “the Serge Gainsbourg station of the extended line 11 is located in the town of Lilas. It is located in the heart of a large residential area, thus offering access to the metro to more Lilasians.”
However, a petition opposes the naming of this new station, located just after Mairie des Lilas, considering that it is giving it “the name of a violent man, a notorious misogynist, and a proponent of incest.” Marie G, initiator of this petition which has gathered some 4000 signatures, thus calls for a new name for the future stop. “The violence against women and the pedocriminal or incestuous tendencies of Serge Gainsbourg (to name just a few) are widely known, and we are outraged that his person is being honored in the Paris Metro,” it reads.
Among the future stops on Line 11, only this one is named in honor of a public figure. There are also the stations Romainville-Carnot, Montreuil-Hôpital, La Dhuys, Coteaux-Beauclair, and Rosny-Bois-Perrier – its terminus.
