The publisher of Asterix opposes the use of its Gallic characters in the wishes of the RN mayor of Perpignan Louis Aliot

Louis Aliot n'avait pas demandé l'autorisation de l'éditeur avant d'utiliser les personnages des aventures d'Astérix pour ses vœux. ILLUSTRATION MAXPPP

The RN mayor of Perpignan, Louis Aliot, used an image of the most famous Gaul in a city greeting card for the new year, without the authorization of the publisher of the adventures of # 39;Asterix who requested the removal of this image. 

Hands off the Gauls. According to information from L'Agglorieuse, the publisher of the adventures of Asterix, Les éditions Albert-René, complained that the diehard Gauls were included, without prior authorization, in a map greetings from the National Rally (RN) mayor of Perpignan, Louis Aliot. "Asterix is ​​apolitical and ensures never to be associated with a party", the publisher, which belongs to the Hachette Livre group, told AFP. 

"They're still icons"

The mayor of Perpignan is said to have committed to removing the image. "I've been doing this for five or six years and it's never been a problem. I do it regularly, or with Tintin for that matter, it depends. They are still icons. But if they want me to take it off, I will take it off, says Louis Aliot to AFP. 

The image in question was no longer on X (ex-Twitter) this Wednesday, January 10, in ;afternoon, but she remained on the councilor's Instagram page. 

The Asterix comics, which continued after the disappearance of their creators René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, remain dazzling successes. The 40th album, L'Iris blanc, was the best-selling book in France in 2023, with more than 1.5 million copies in just two months.