Paris contemplates honorary citizenship for Kyiv

The suggestion comes from Mayor Hidalgo, in a gesture of solidarity to the Ukrainian capital, defending itself from Russian troops

Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo will propose to the City Council to grant honorary citizenship to Kyiv, as a demonstration of solidarity to the capital of Ukraine “besieged by the Russian armed forces”, as the city website informed on Sunday. The decision reportedly follows a discussion between the two cities over the weekend, which determined the honorary citizenship as the most suitable form of demonstration of the support of Paris to the Ukrainian city at the moment.

The ultimate gesture of support to the people of Kiev

Resisting an attack of incredible violence, the inhabitants of Kyiv (Kiev) like its Mayor, Vitali Klitschko, showed exceptional courage and composure, reads the release. That is why, the French capital, represented by its Mayor Anne Hidalgo, is willing to support it in the critical times of Russian aggression, by naming it a honorary citizen. The proposition will be put to vote by the city council, likely on 22 March.

Paris, ville refuge, se mobilise pour les réfugiés ukrainiens. En activant nos hébergements d’urgence et en ouvrant une cellule de crise, nous mettons tous les moyens en œuvre pour accueillir les Ukrainiennes et les Ukrainiens. pic.twitter.com/PXFrsL74T0

— Anne Hidalgo (@Anne_Hidalgo) February 27, 2022

Paris, a city of refuge, is mobilizing for Ukrainian refugees. By activating our emergency accommodation and opening a crisis cell, we are doing everything we can to welcome Ukrainians, Hidalgo said in a Tweet on Sunday.

The “honorary citizen”, as its name suggests, is normally given to people for their engagement with the defence of fundamental freedoms throughout the world. It is a particularly important distinction, given the fact that it was in Paris that the Declaration of the Rights of the Man and of the Citizen was adopted in 1789 and also the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - in 1948.

The City of Paris has been giving it for a little over 20 years and the people who have received it include journalists, human rights advocates and activists, among which Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva, former President of Brazil, and Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa.

However, it is not a precedent to grant the honorary title to non-persons: in 2016, “biodiversity” was named honorary citizen of the City of Paris, while in 2015 it was the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, whose 12 cartoonists were killed by Islamic terrorists for drawing cartoons of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad.

Paris City Hall had already demonstrated its support to Ukraine by lighting its façade in the colours of the Ukrainian flag, as numerous other European cities did. Furthermore, the City of Paris has set up a crisis unit in order to provide accommodation for Ukrainians stranded in Paris or who have come to take refuge there. Additional aid measures will be specified in the coming days, as the communiqué further points out.