Despite the mayor’s ban, Éric Zemmour maintains his visit to Villeurbanne this Saturday

Le Figaro Lyon

For several days, the majority of left and far left organizations in Lyon have been asking for a ban on the visit of Éric Zemmour to Villeurbanne on Saturday. This Wednesday, Cédric Van Styvendael, the mayor of the town, announced that he had issued an order prohibiting the militant meeting organized by the president of Reconquest in this socialist stronghold, for the release of his new book.

Despite this decree, Éric Zemmour confirmed in a press release his presence on Saturday in Villeurbanne: “I make an appointment in court with the mayor. As for my readers, I tell them see you Saturday, because our appointment is obviously maintained“.

After initially agreeing, Cédric Van Styvendael explained that he made the decision to cancel the event due to “the existence of a risk of excesses and violence around the Cultural Center and associative life of Villeurbanne” where 600 people were expected on site according to the organizers. “Everything opposes me to the ideas and values ​​defended by Éric Zemmour. Beyond the necessary political fight, I remain firmly attached to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly. (…) The Reconquest Party! was able to reserve a municipal hall as all political parties can do. You don’t fight the extreme right by preventing its ideas from being expressed. We fight them with the weapons of democracy.Cédric Van Styvendael said in a statement.

And to add:I note that this event is not able to take place without risking creating disturbances to public order endangering the safety of people. Under these conditions, it would be irresponsible to maintain this demonstration.

“False pretexts”

Of the “false pretenses of disturbing public orderreplied the president of Reconquest. And to add:the mayor of Villeurbanne actually makes a confession: he is not capable of ensuring the security of his commune. No more today in the face of a few fanatics of the extreme left who claim to dictate who has the right to express themselves than in the face of the delinquents and dealers who are poisoning Villeurbanne or the Islamism which is developing there.“.

Contacted on Wednesday, the departmental organization of Reconquest in the Rhône said to itself “skeptical about the viability of the procedureinitiated by the mayor of the town. “What we see is that the town hall, which had accepted our reception in the cultural center of Villeurbanne, gave in to pressure from the ultra left when it was a friendly meeting organized within the framework of Éric Zemmour’s tour for the release of his book“, lamented Mickaël Magnin, communication manager of Reconquête Rhône.