One farm animal has become a symbol for the French countryside, representing a way of life that is increasingly threatened by obnoxious tourists. 

Maurice didn’t choose to be famous. The cockerel became known throughout France for his “abnormal” morning call. A French couple filed a lawsuit against the bird’s owners because its piercing call at 6:30 a.m. disturbed the peace at their vacation home on Oleron, an island along France’s Atlantic coast. Thousands of supporters rallied for Maurice, flooding social media with proclamations of “I am Maurice!” When the case went to trial, supporters brought their own cockerels in solidarity. 

Maurice’s case touched a sensitive nerve. Celebrated nationwide for its scenic beauty and peaceful way of life, the French countryside attracts innumerable visitors each year. Those with sufficient means often buy a second home in rural areas to escape France’s bustling cities when the season’s right. In the winter, Oleron has 7,000 residents. In the summer, it has 35,000. 

Tensions emerge when newcomers face culture shock upon arrival in the countryside. Expecting nothing but gorgeous views and friendly neighbors, many are shocked by the clatter of farm equipment, the noises of animals and the smell of manure. Their neighbors often welcome the newcomers at first, but begin to chafe at their presence when outsiders refuse to adapt to the countryside’s unique culture. 

In Les Bondons, a village in the Lozere region, the church bell rings at 7 each morning. This angered one vacationer so much that she wrote a letter to the mayor suggesting he delay the morning bell during her two-week vacation. Another court case saw a farmer pay 8,000 euros ($9,655) to his neighbor because of the unpleasant smell made by his cows and maturing hay (the farmer said the court’s decision was “stupidity pushed to its limit.”) Though most decisions side with country dwellers, they often push everyday citizens into exhausting legal battles that take place in the public spotlight. 

Such cases reveal a deep, long-standing fault line in French society. In recent years, this urban-rural gap has only widened. Author Christophe Guilluy inflamed French politics in 2014 when he coined the term “peripheral France” to describe the suburbs and rural areas outside major urban centers. Burdened with declining populations and shrinking opportunities, Guilluy argued that these regions were a powder keg of political rage waiting to explode. The far-right National Front party has reached considerable power by appealing to rural residents’ grievances. Guilluy estimates that “peripheral France” encapsulates about 60% of the country’s population. 

Tensions erupted in the “yellow vest” protests of 2018, which shook France’s political establishment to its core. The protests were sparked when a tax hike on diesel fuel was announced. Though seemingly benign, it was a slap in the face to rural France and its residents. The countryside suffers from a dire lack of public transportation; people there rely on cars for grocery shopping, hospital visits and everything in between. Fulfilling daily tasks often means long drives. Years earlier, the government encouraged drivers to buy diesel cars, believing them to be more eco-friendly. When the new tax was announced, those in peripheral France felt that they were being punished for doing exactly what the government advised them to do. In a way, they were. 

One of the movement’s lasting influences was to call attention to the numerous difficulties of life outside of France’s urban hubs, especially in the countryside. Accordingly, small villages and towns across the country poured out support. On Twitter, Maurice the cockerel sported a yellow vest in solidarity. 

For all its difficulties, many still prefer life in the country. France has 8,780 villages with fewer than 200 people, and almost all of them will sing the praises of country living. Here, residents escape the hustle and bustle of city life and enjoy a welcoming, caring community in scenic surroundings. For most, ringing church bells and shrieking cockerels are a small price to pay. These sometimes unpleasant sounds are just as vital to the French countryside as verdant fields, friendly neighbors and wide-open skies. 

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Michael is an undergraduate student at Haverford College, dodging the pandemic by taking a gap year. He writes in a variety of genres, and his time in high school debate renders political writing an inevitable fascination. Writing at Catalyst and the Bi-Co News, a student-run newspaper, provides an outlet for this passion. In the future, he intends to keep writing in mediums both informative and creative.