The far-right mayor of Castres in southern France, Florian Azéma, has cancelled a scheduled performance of Alexis Michalik’s play Passeport, which tells the story of a migrant who loses his memory after being attacked in the Calais refugee camp known as “the Jungle”. The decision has sparked outrage, protests, and accusations that the National Rally (RN) is engaging in cultural censorship.
Play's plot and significance
In Passeport, a young man wakes up after a beating with no memory of who he is, his only possession a blue Eritrean passport bearing the name Issa. He decides to stay in France and seek legal status rather than attempt the dangerous Channel crossing to the UK. Michalik, a 43-year-old Anglo-French playwright who has won five Molière awards (France’s highest theatre honour), says the play addresses serious contemporary issues through a human story of exile, endurance, and identity. Since its Paris premiere in 2024, it has been performed across France.
Mayor's decision and reaction
Azéma cancelled the February 2027 date at Castres theatre, run by the town hall, just before the season programme was announced. He called the play “political propaganda” that promoted “illegal immigrants” and offered a “strange depiction of the police”, telling Agence France-Presse: “This does not correspond to what I stood for during the election campaign.” Michalik said the cancellation was a clear political and ideological decision, unlike previous cases where authorities cited budget constraints.
Wider implications for cultural freedom
Michalik described the move as “Trumpish” and a warning of what could happen if the National Rally, which leads in polls for next year’s presidential election, were to run the country. He said: “Creative freedom and the independence of cultural programming are neither rightwing nor leftwing. They are one of the cornerstones of our democratic way of life. People have the right to like the play or not, but everyone should be able to see it.” France’s culture minister, Catherine Pégard, affirmed that “freedom of artistic expression is protected and enshrined at national level by the law”. The cancellation also prompted questions in the French parliament.
Michalik's perspective
Speaking to the Guardian, Michalik said the RN had long claimed to respect cultural independence, but this local action showed otherwise. He added: “It really saddens me. I grew up in a part of north Paris that is multicultural and that is my vision of France. I know that different populations can live together and it works.” He said he wanted to tell the story from the migrant’s perspective, rather than the usual media narrative, and noted that throughout history, migrants have always been labelled as problems, but no government can simply stop immigration. “Society is bound to evolve with it,” he concluded.
