Posting this because one of the pictures in this album was featured in, and later removed from a photography festival in Deauville, France.

Machine translation from a news article below:

On the evening of Thursday, August 20, 2026, Sylvain Larcher noticed that the photograph had been replaced by a different image on a different subject. “This disappearance raises a simple and legitimate question: why was this photograph removed?” he asks, calling for a “clear and transparent answer” to understand why the photo—which had been on display since early June—was suddenly replaced.

He insists: “The point here is not to prejudge the reason for the removal or to make accusations without evidence. It is precisely about asking for full clarity regarding a decision that, as it stands, raises questions. If the photograph was removed or moved for technical or scheduling reasons, that simply needs to be explained. But if it was removed due to outside pressure or because of the subject matter it depicts, then the issue of creative freedom, artistic freedom, and freedom of expression within a cultural event supported by public institutions would inevitably arise.”

Noting that the festival’s goal is precisely to reveal human realities through the lens of sport, Sylvain Larcher continues: “A photograph showing young people playing football amidst ruins can be unsettling, moving, or thought-provoking. That is precisely the role a photographic work can play in the public space. […] Culture and photography must not be subject to pressure of any kind.” “So as not to offend anyone”

Contacted by Le Pays d’Auge, the festival organizers—speaking through the Deauville municipality—confirmed that the photo was indeed replaced “so as not to offend anyone,” following requests to do so. “We do not want to get drawn into the controversy or offend anyone.”