The announcement of the “Banquet tarnais,” scheduled for November 21 in Albi, has sparked controversy. Behind the promise of a popular feast dedicated to the local region, opponents denounce it as a showcase for the identitarian movement and are calling for its prohibition. Amid suspicions of radical drifts and defense of traditions, the gastronomic event turns into a political confrontation several months before its occurrence.
The meeting will only take place on November 21 at the exhibition center in Albi. However, controversy has been brewing for months before the event. The announcement of the arrival of the “Canon français” in Tarn has led to an increase in tensions.
At the heart of the protest are the accusations against certain previous banquets of this organization, suspected by opponents of serving as a showcase for an identitarian and ultra-conservative movement. In Albi, a resident has even launched a petition to demand the prohibition of the event.
In appearance, the event follows the codes of a large popular feast: long tables, local products, regional songs, and claimed conviviality around a certain idea of the “France of traditions.” This is the exact image that the “Canon français” aims to portray, a structure born in 2021 that organizes “giant banquets” across the country.
Organizers Defend Themselves
On the booking page of the future “Banquet tarnais,” scheduled at the exhibition center in Albi, the event promises an evening dedicated to “the local region,” with local producers, conviviality, and regional folklore. However, behind this festive image claimed by the organizers, criticisms and controversies have multiplied in recent weeks.
The controversy gained momentum after the banquet organized in Caen last April. In a report broadcasted by France Inter, an infiltrated journalist claimed to have witnessed racist remarks, Islamophobic insults, and gestures resembling Nazi salutes. Among the financial supporters of the “Canon français” is businessman Pierre-Édouard Stérin, a conservative Catholic entrepreneur frequently mentioned in investigations about the networks of the far-right.
The organizers strongly reject the political accusations and claim to only celebrate “French heritage,” gastronomy, and conviviality. They regularly denounce media caricatures and claim not to be responsible for the isolated behaviors of some participants.
Petition Against the Event
In this tense context, the announcement of the “Banquet tarnais” in Albi has not gone unnoticed. On social media, Nathanaël Suaud, a former colleague of Jean-Luc Suarez, PS candidate in the last municipal elections in Albi, announced that he wrote to the prefect of Tarn to demand the prohibition of the event and to the mayor of Albi to refuse the use of the venue.
“These charlatans of the local region, who sell a lukewarm meal in sailors’ style for 80 euros, have no place in our city and in our department,” he wrote. He, who is also a parliamentary assistant in the European Parliament, calls on residents to sign an online petition against the holding of the event. This initiative could mark the beginning of a particularly sensitive political sequence in Albi in the coming months.
For now, the organizers are maintaining the “Banquet tarnais” and continue with reservations despite the growing opposition. At this stage, no prohibition order has been announced by the authorities. But with several months until the event, tension is already rising around this day that could quickly surpass the simple gastronomic framework.
