No ban on ‘racist cakes’

THE TOP administrative court has rejected a demand by anti-racism campaigners that a mayor be forced to ban a bakery from displaying allegedly racist cakes.

The Conseil d’Etat judged that displaying the cakes – “featuring characters of black colour, shown in an obscene posture and using deliberately colonialist imagery” - was “likely to shock”.

But it said that it was not in itself “manifestly illegal” for the mayor of Grasse not to have the local police enforce a ban.

To be illegal his behaviour would have had to “harm fundamental liberties,” and the court ruled this was not the case.

The court noted that the bakery has been displaying the line of chocolate cakes, shaped like obese, naked people, for several years.

The ruling came after anti-racism body Cran asked the mayor to ban the cakes – who refused. Cran then appealed to the Nice administrative court, which called for a ban, after which the bakery appealed to the Conseil d’Etat.

The row over the cakes broke out in March after a disapproving shopper complained to Cran.

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