The mayor of Béziers Robert Ménard tried for refusing to celebrate a marriage with an illegal foreigner

The mayor of Béziers Robert Ménard defended, on Wednesday, before the Montpellier criminal court, his decision not to celebrate in July 2023 the marriage between a French woman from his commune and an Algerian national in an irregular situation under obligation to leave French territory (OQTF). Prosecuted for this refusal, the elected official risks up to five years in prison, a fine of 75,000 euros and a penalty of ineligibility. “I knew the risks I was taking,” he declared in court.

At the time, he refused to unite Eva M., a French citizen, and Mustapha B., an Algerian national in an irregular situation, citing his suspicions of a “sham marriage”. A few days later, the man was deported to Algeria. The couple finally married in this country during the summer of 2026, but today live separately, Eva M. residing in France with her children.

Ménard says he would make the same decision again

At the helm, the mayor insisted on what he considers to be a contradiction between his functions. “I am a civil registrar and I know that I have to marry people. But I am also an OPJ (judicial police officer) and as such, I take care of security and tranquility,” he explained. According to him, “a mayor should not be forced to marry someone who should not be on the territory”. Asked by the president of the court what he would do if a similar situation arose again, he answered “yes” to the question of whether he would make the same decision.

Several political leaders summoned to appear in court by the mayor of Béziers came to support his position. Senator Stéphane Demilly (UDI), author of a bill aimed at prohibiting marriage to people in an irregular situation in France, considered that “the current law is obsolete, outdated”. Bruno Retailleau (LR), former Minister of the Interior and presidential candidate, declared that “marrying this couple was neutralizing a decision of the State”, adding that in Robert Ménard’s place, “I would not have married him”. David Lisnard, mayor of Cannes and president of the Association of Mayors of France, also defended the elected official's decision.

An “ubuesque” situation for Emmanuel Macron

The question had already sparked reactions at the top of the State. In 2025, Emmanuel Macron described as “ubuesque” the situation in which mayors find themselves forced to celebrate the marriage of people in an irregular situation. In Parliament, the Ciottist deputies are seeking to bring Stéphane Demilly's bill to fruition, while the left has so far opposed it.

All our articles on Robert Ménard

Eva M., for her part, described the consequences of the annulled marriage in court. She spoke of a “trauma” and said that after the public announcement of the mayor’s refusal, “we were booed in the town hall square, my children too”. “Mr. Ménard put himself in this situation all by himself,” she said, wondering: “Why did he publish the bans? Why did he set a wedding date? ". His lawyer, Me Vanessa Edberg, asked Robert Ménard if his choice had been dictated “by political conviction”, which he contested: “No ma’am, my political convictions have nothing to do with it”.