In response to the violence that occurred on Saturday, October 17, 2026, which particularly affected Marseille, a bust of Marianne was presented to Benoît Payan, the city's mayor. This new symbol of the Republic replaces the one that was thrown to the ground by individuals who managed to enter the town hall. The donation comes from the 91 mayors of the Aix-Marseille-Provence metropolis and their president, Nicolas Isnard, in an initiative aimed at reaffirming their commitment to republican values.
Nicolas Isnard, president of the Metropolis, emphasized that "symbols of the Republic, across France, have been attacked and vandalized." He described the image of Marianne "thrown to the ground and trampled" as "unbearable and unacceptable," adding, "Marianne is a symbol of the values of our Republic, and tonight, we have come to put her back in her place. Because liberty, equality, and fraternity are not to be thrown to the ground!"
Benoît Payan praised the gesture, stating, "The mayors, you are the honor of the Republic!" He recalled that "Marianne is the emblem of the French Revolution, of light over darkness, of democracy over dictatorship, the emblem of our values against the desecration of our values." The mayor of Marseille concluded by saying that "through this act, the 91 mayors of the metropolis have just shown what the spirit of the State and the Republic is."
