The Biarritz city council has officially voted to rename the rue de la Négresse to rue de l'Allégresse.

Twenty-five elected officials voted for the repeal of the original name, six voted against, and two abstained during a vote held Monday at the municipal council. This name change was the source of a legal dispute between the municipality and an association.

The municipal council of Biarritz (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), meeting on the evening of Monday, May 5, officially voted to rename the street "la Négresse" , at the origin of a legal dispute between the Basque municipality and an association dedicated to the history of colonization, to "l'Allégresse" street, reports "ici Pays Basque" (ex-France Bleu).

The vote took place by secret ballot around 6:30 p.m. on Monday: 25 elected officials voted for the repeal of the original name, six voted against, while two abstained. A short time later, a second vote was held to ratify the results of the public consultation and rename the street. In mid-April, residents were asked to choose between three new names. "Rue de l'Allégresse" won with 50.49% of the votes cast by 2,018 voters.

On February 6, the Bordeaux Administrative Court of Appeal (CAA) granted a request from the Mémoires et partages association, giving the Biarritz municipality three months to repeal a 1986 decision that had named the street "la Négresse." The judges ruled that this name, denounced as "racist and sexist" by the applicant association, was "likely to undermine human dignity."