A French town has been ordered to take down a statue of the Virgin Mary after a court ruled it violated the country's ban on religious symbols in public space.
Officials in Publier, in eastern France, have been given three months to remove the statue or face a fine of 100 euros (£80) a day.
In response to the ruling, the town’s mayor, Gaston Lacroix, said he would try to move the statue to private land.
The figure, which stands in a park overlooking the waters of Lake Geneva, was erected in 2011 and has already been the subject of controversy as it was paid for with public funds.
The ruling has sparked criticism on social media with critics arguing it violates freedom of expression.
Jacques Clostermann, a politician from southern France, tweeted: "I think I have a very open mind, but I can't stand this new tyranny"
Another user wrote:"Building tyranny, either we suffer it or we fight against it like the Cristeros. No alternative."
France has a long history of the separation of church and state.
Religious symbols are banned from public space under the 1905 laïcité, or state secularism, law.
In 2011 it became the first country in Europe to ban women from wearing face-covering veils in public spaces.
Earlier this year the country was embroiled in a bitter debate about whether Burkinis should be banned on French beaches.
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