A fervent defender of the cause of migrants, Cédric Herrou is particularly known for having introduced many illegal immigrants into France from Italy. VALERY HACHE / AFP
In a press release, the municipality evokes a “provocative program” and denounces the holding of two evenings on “the expulsion of foreigners”, in the presence of the activist and Maralpin farmer.
Le Figaro Nice
The City of Nice discovered several days ago that a collective of 26 associations planned to organize, from this 1er April, a festival called “Spring of Migrations.” In a press release, she says she opposes it with rigor while “no permission” was not asked of him. For a month, several events will be organized in various neighborhoods of Nice: debates, workshops, screenings or even street art are on the program.
In view of the climate of social tension which reigns on a national scale, with the demonstrations against the pension reform and the episode of Sainte-Soline last weekend, the municipality regrets that a “part of the programming does not seem to be of a calming nature at all, quite the contrary.” In this sense, it evokes “two events specifically highlighted” which provide for the participation of the activist and farmer from Nice Cédric Herrou, “Known for helping illegal immigrants to travel to France illegally.” It is in fact about two evenings which must be held on April 13 and 14 at the Nomad Bar and at the Diables Bleus, in Nice, on “the expulsion of foreigners”.
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They try to pass us off as zadists, but we’re neither punks nor anars
Cédric Herrou, activist known for his defense of migrants
On its website, Cimade, which is co-organizing the event, justifies itself, considering that “deportation occupies a growing place in the migratory journey of foreigners who are subject to increasingly coercive police control”. Not to the taste of the town hall, which insists on the fact that it “will be intransigent on these types of events at a time when the need for authority is real in our country and when it is more important than ever to defend the rule of law“.
At Figaro, Cédric Herrou said he was surprised that the press release was not signed by Christian Estrosi himself. According to him, the mayor would lead a crusade “politician” against an event that wants to be “festive, nothing more”. “They try to pass us off as zadists but we are neither punks nor anarshe still believes. And then, it’s not because we don’t agree that we should be silenced. The farmer-activist, fervent defender of illegal immigrants, also wishes to recall that the Alpes-Maritimes department is the one that welcomed “the most migrants last year”. For him, the mayor’s position on the festival would only be “a contest of “dicks” (sic) with Éric Ciotti.In fact, the deputy and main detractor of the city councilor of Nice has made the fight against illegal immigration one of his favorite themes.
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“Pressure” on associations
In addition, in its press release, the City of Nice says it has questioned “a number of supposed partners” of the “Spring of Migrations”, which did not seem “not aware of the planned events” and some of which, “Following our alert, explained that they had been deceived and made the choice to withdraw.”
On this point, Cédric Herrou believes that the associations concerned would have received “pressures” of the City, who would have threatened them not to renew “their lease on the building”. In any event, the prefecture, for its part, validated the collective’s request for the organization of the festival. It should therefore begin on Saturday in Nice, no offense to the city councilor.