The statue of Simone Veil in La Roche-sur-Yon was vandalized with red paint and anti-abortion slogans by Action française on March 8.

Action française, a far-right royalist group, claimed responsibility for the act through a social media video, associating it with abortion rights being enshrined in the French constitution.

This act of vandalism is not unprecedented; the statue suffered a similar attack in 2019.

Local authorities acted swiftly by cleaning the statue and filing a complaint with the public prosecutor in response to the defacement.

The incident coincided with a Paris ceremony honoring the law that secures abortion access, highlighting the political tension surrounding the issue.