The Victoriaville municipal council decided Monday evening to ask the organizers of a music festival, VictoFest, to remove singer Éric Lapointe from its programming of free shows next summer, due to the artist’s criminal past. in matters of domestic violence.
The mayor of Victoriaville, Antoine Tardif, explains on his Facebook page that municipal elected officials were responsive to comments from citizens and organizations. One of them, the La Volte-Face shelter, a community support and accommodation resource for women and children victims of domestic violence, had protested about the planned presence of Éric Lapointe.
In an open letter, the general director of La Volte-Face, Julie Croteau, wrote that an important issue arose, that of idolizing certain artists without questioning their actions. “It begs the question whether the choice of this programming does not contribute to the trivialization of the criminal act committed by the singer and the forgetting of the victim,” she added.
Announcing the municipal councilors’ decision, Mayor Tardif said he wanted major shows to remain unifying. However, he added that for those who wanted to attend Éric Lapointe’s show, VictoFest will try to keep it within the festival’s paid programming.
As for La Volte-Face, it must react on Tuesday by way of a press release to the decision of elected officials.
VictoFest will be presented at the Colisée Desjardins in Victoriaville from June 21 to 1er July.
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