Bagnolet City Council Approves Land Sale for Local Mosque After Legal Setback

It was unanimously that the municipal council approved the sale of the land of the mosque on Rue Hoche to the ABFB. Initially, there was a 63-year lease that authorized the association to build a mosque there. This will become a reality in 2013. Six years later, the association wanted to replace the lease with a direct purchase of the plot, which measures 1,023 m² and is estimated at 950,000 euros, with 700,000 euros to be paid upon signing the deed of sale and the rest in the form of monthly installments spread over four years, reports Le Parisien.

While the idea delights the majority of council members, this is not the case for Marie-Laure Brossier, an opposition councilor at the time. Her challenge led to the cancellation of the sale of the land by the courts. According to her, the council cannot decide to conclude such an act without really knowing the association in question. She also points out that the proposal to pay by installment "amounted to an interest-free loan," and therefore "contrary to the 1905 law on the separation of church and state." In July 2022, she indicated that there was no urgency to sell the plot. The court finds her arguments relevant on all the points mentioned.