| Brexit Street | |
| Length | 0.325 km (0.202 mi) |
|---|---|
| Location | Beaucaire,Occitanie |
| Other | |
| Known for | Brexit |
Rue du Brexit (English: Brexit Street)[1] is a 325-metre-long (1,066 ft) circuitous road inBeaucaire,Occitanie,France.[2] It was named afterBrexit in 2016 by the town's mayor as a tribute to the United Kingdom following their vote to leave theEuropean Union in the2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum.[3]
43°47′34″N4°38′34″E / 43.7929°N 4.6429°E /43.7929; 4.6429
The road that would becomeRue du Brexit in Beaucaire was previously unnamed. It is a circuitous road on an industrial estate that leavesRueRobert Schuman (named for a founder of theEuropean Economic Community) and rejoins it some 60 m (200 ft) later.[3][4] In 2016, following the United Kingdom's vote to leave the European Union theFront National mayor of BeaucaireJulien Sanchez, decided to name the roadRue du Brexit as a "homage to the decision of the sovereign British people".[4] Sanchez also justified Rue du Brexit as he said the then unnamed road needed a title to assist emergency services with location.[2] The motion for the naming was approved by Beaucaire council by a 29–9 vote.[1]
Reaction to the new street name was mixed worldwide.Leave.EU which campaigned for the UK to leave during the referendum called it "A fine choice!".[5] Sanchez revealed to French radio that he had received several messages of support from the UK, some of which he said were fromMembers of Parliament.[1] However, criticism was leveled at it for the location and direction with the AmericanWashington Post calling it "an ugly, dead-end road".[5] Some of the local residents of Beaucaire also criticised Sanchez for using an English word for a French street.[4] Some newspapers also alleged it was done as a political reminder to French voters of the promise to hold a French referendum on European Union membership if the Front National leaderMarine Le Pen won the2017 French presidential election.[6]
