Ever since Diomede, the French cockerel rugby mascot, was sent back to his coop suffering from depression in the 2003 world cup, France has been aware that birds have feelings too. The coq gaulois is more than a national symbol, it is an emblem of rural life in La France Profonde.
So the nation watched with interest when a 70-year-old woman and her son in rural Alsace went to court accusing a neighbour's crowing cockerel of ruining their life. Last night, a judge ruled in favour of the bird and its dawn outbursts, ordering the sleep-deprived villagers to pay the €400 costs for the trial.
The mother and son, who shared a house in Wittersdorf near the German border, had complained their neighbour's cockerel constantly woke them from 3am. They demanded €1,500 for loss of sleep. The owner asked the judge to rule in favour of animal noises in rural areas. Like a Scottish cockerel recently threatened with an antisocial behaviour order, this was a battle for country rights.
During the trial, the owner decided to put the cockerel inside at night, lessening the din. His lawyer, Marc Muller, told reporters: "In the countryside, there has to be a certain level of tolerance. This is a logical, commonsense judgment."
Until yesterday, the cockerel was anonymous. But last night his owner decided to name him "Victoire".
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