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Mayor to name Paris street after David Bowie

A Paris street will soon be named after the late British rock star David Bowie, a local mayor announced on Friday.

Published: 11 January 2020 12:27 CET
Mayor to name Paris street after David Bowie
David Bowie performs in Paris. Image: Martin BUREAU / AFP

“There will soon be a Rue David Bowie in the 13th arrondissement of Paris,” Jerome Coumet, mayor of the district told AFP.

The socialist mayor, a professed fan of Bowie who died in 2016, said a new road near the major Austerlitz station in the southeast of the French capital would bear the name off the music megastar.

“The naming must be approved by the Paris council in February, something which Coumet said would normally happen without problems.

Bowie who created such enduring hits as “Heroes” and “Space Oddity”, “had a strong link with the city of lights”, he added Bowie would have turned 73 on Wednesday.

Member comments

  1. Does anyone know if this street name was approved? If so, do you know when it will be unveiled due to the Covid19 crisis? I’m doing a street project and I would love to see this one if possible.

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PARIS

Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Efforts to relocate wild rabbits that are a common sight on the lawns of the historic Invalides memorial complex have provoked criticism from animal rights groups.

Published: 14 February 2024 13:01 CET
Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Tourists and Parisians have long been accustomed to the sight of wild rabbits frolicking around the lawns of Les Invalides, one of the French capital’s great landmarks.

But efforts are underway to relocate the fluffy animals, accused of damaging the gardens and drains around the giant edifice that houses Napoleon’s tomb, authorities said.

Police said that several dozen bunnies had been captured since late January and relocated to the private estate of Breau in the Seine-et-Marne region outside Paris, a move that has prompted an outcry from animal rights activists.

“Two operations have taken place since 25 January,” the police prefecture told AFP.

“Twenty-four healthy rabbits were captured on each occasion and released after vaccination” in Seine-et-Marne, the prefecture said.

Six more operations are scheduled to take place in the coming weeks.

Around 300 wild rabbits live around Les Invalides, according to estimates.

“The overpopulation on the site is leading to deteriorating living conditions and health risks,” the prefecture said.

Authorities estimate the cost of restoring the site, which has been damaged by the proliferation of underground galleries and the deterioration of gardens, pipes and flora, at €366,000.

Animal rights groups denounced the operation.

The Paris Animaux Zoopolis group said the rabbits were being subjected to “intense stress” or could be killed “under the guise of relocation”.

“A number of rabbits will die during capture and potentially during transport,” said the group, accusing authorities of being “opaque” about their methods.

The animal rights group also noted that Breau was home to the headquarters of the Seine-et-Marne hunting federation.

The police prefecture insisted that the animals would not be hunted.

In 2021, authorities classified the rabbits living in Paris as a nuisance but the order was reversed following an outcry from animal groups who have been pushing for a peaceful cohabitation with the animals.

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