The show will ultimately not take place. But on Saturday, in front of the municipal theater of Castres, the play Passport by Alexis Michalik was in every conversation. Between defense of creative freedom, denunciation of “censorship” and political confrontation around the RN municipality, nearly 400 people followed one another on the square which became, for a day, a real civic agora.
Rarely have the steps of the municipal theater looked so much like a public square. This Saturday, June 20, several hundred people gathered there to denounce the deprogramming of Passportthe play by Alexis Michalik withdrawn from the cultural season by the RN municipality.
Also read:
“They’re illegal immigrants!” Show canceled, mayor RN accused of censorship… The controversy swells in Castres following the cancellation of a play on the journey of a migrant
In front of the facade of the theater, which despite itself became the epicenter of a national controversy, two gatherings punctuated the day. Two distinct meetings in their form and tone, but the same question in the background: where does the political decision stop and where does the attack on creative freedom begin?
From 10 a.m., nearly a hundred people responded to the call from the municipal opposition group “Castres en commune”. Families, retirees, actors from the associative world and theater lovers meet on the square in a calm atmosphere, without flags or partisan demonstrations.
Also read:
After the controversy in Castres, the Tarn department reschedules the play “Passport” at Cap’Découverte on January 23
“Our indignation is not artificial. It is legitimate, because when a power, whatever it may be, begins to control culture and artists, it is very worrying,” declares Véronique Charmeux, former theater teacher. Among the participants, Vincent, who came without any political label, sums up the state of mind of the gathering: “We can like or not like a work, but we must be able to see it before judging it…”
Véronique Charmeux then reads a text sent especially for the occasion by Alexis Michalik. “This matter does not only concern Passport. It asks a simple question: what happens to freedom of creation when an elected official believes that a work does not correspond to his vision of the world?” writes the director, also mentioning the numerous supports received since Castres. “From residents. Association leaders. Volunteers. directors of cultural places. People from the right, from the left, sometimes without any particular commitment. They all told me the same thing: Let’s find a solution.
“Today, we are being lied to and it is not acceptable…”
In his turn, Jean-Antoine Escande, elected from “Castres en commun”, denounces the municipal decision: “We are here to say that culture cannot be politicized. This piece was programmed and printed on the brochure. Today, we are being lied to and it is not admissible… We are at a level of cynicism that has no limits.”
Also read:
Castres RN town hall accused of “cultural censorship”: two gatherings planned for this Saturday in front of the theater
A few hours later, change of atmosphere. At 3 p.m., more than 300 people responded to the call from Castres Antifa, joined by several trade unions, associations and political organizations. Flags and signs now color the theater square. The LFI MP for Tarn, Karen Erodi, is also present.
“It’s an attack that announces others”
The speeches take on a more offensive tone. The speakers denounce “scandalous measures”, “political choices which violate people’s rights” and call for “rediscovering our capacity to be outraged, to resist”. For several speakers, the deprogramming of Passport goes far beyond the scope of a simple play. “It’s an attack that heralds others and we need a reaction that matches,” says one of them. Another adds: “No, the RN is not a party like the others. It is our political enemy, it is our class enemy.”
Throughout the day, the speeches sometimes diverged. In the morning, the interventions focused on the defense of artistic creation. In the afternoon, the mobilization transformed into a political demonstration against the far right.
But, beyond these differences, the two gatherings bore witness to the same reality: the deprogramming of Passport went well beyond the framework of the Castres cultural season. As if the absence of the piece had finally given birth to another spectacle: that of a city in full reflection on the place of culture in public space.
/2026/06/11/6a2aadd6dadde537593998.jpg "Pride Month: twenty LGBTQIA+ outings and events one week before Pride in Paris")
/2025/02/27/betarram-67c0dbee901f4999229898.jpg "\"Violence against children is the genocide of the 21st century\"warns the president of the commission of inquiry into the violence in Bétharram")
