French Mayor Decries “Settlement” of Virtual Pokemon in His Town

The mayor of a French village is demanding that Niantic remove all Pokemon from its “territory.”

Bressolles is a small village of about 800 residents located northeast of Lyon, and its mayor is voicing his displeasure with Niantic, the company behind Pokemon GO. Speaking with the Associated Press, Mayor Fabrice Beauvois called out the “anarchical settlement” of Pokemon creatures in the village.

The mayor also sent a decree to Niantic, in which he says that looking for Pokemon puts both drivers and pedestrians at risk due to people watching their smartphones, and also that it can lead to groups forming at night. He also was upset that Niantic didn’t ask for permission to settle their Pokemon in the village. “When a cafe or a restaurant owner wants to open a business in any French town, they have an obligation to request prior authorization to the mayor. The rule applies to all people wishing to set up an activity or occupy a space on a public property. So it applies to Niantic as well, even though their settlement is virtual,” the mayor said.

If you think this sounds strange, just wait. It gets worse.

The Mayor went on to say that Pokemon GO is now spreading in a “contagious” way, and that is may become a “dangerous addiction.” He also said that “They (meaning the Niantic developers) use the entire planet as a playground.”

Niantic has not responded to the demand, or made any comment on the situation as yet. Recently, the company has already removed Pokestop from sensitive locations like the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, but it remains to be seen how they’ll feel about removing the Pokemon from an entire village.

It’s a strange situation, especially since Pokemon don’t actually exist. Maybe the mayor can ban aliens next.