A court in France has ruled that Christmas nativity scenes cannot be displayed in public buildings unless they are installed exclusively for cultural, artistic or festive purposes.

The ruling by the French Council of State relates to a Nativity scene installed in the Town Hall in Béziers in 2014 by its Mayor, Robert Ménard, against which a complaint had been filed for alleged violation of the country’s secularization laws. However, the Mayor has refused to back down and plans to continue displaying the nativity scene though with modifications to reflect local regional customs.