The association asks Jean-Paul Durand, mayor of Villers-sur-Mer, to rename the rue Saucisse the “rue Soycisse”. (© Pays d’Auge)
In Dordogne, France, the animal rights organization, PETA, has petitioned the local mayor to alter the name of a main street in the medieval village. According to PETA, the street currently known as “Rue de la Saucisse” (Sausage Street) should be changed to something less offensive to animal-lovers. What was initially viewed by public officials as a joke has now sparked considerable controversy. Interestingly, according to some townspeople, the place name was actually inspired by the nickname given to a long-deceased villager who carried the moniker “Saucisse” with pride.
The group has officially requested that the town’s mayor steps in and renames it “Rue de la Soycisse” after soy, a common ingredient in vegan meals. Unfortunately for PETA, the request has already been poo-pooed by Mayor of Issigeac Jean-Claude Castagner. Castagner told Le Parisien that he initially thought the letter from PETA had been sent as a “gag”, but “after checking, I realized that it was an official [request].”