The court continues the examination of the appeals. On Wednesday, for the sixth time in six weeks, the Nice administrative court overturned an order from the prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes Hugues Moutouh, who persists in banning pro-Palestinian gatherings.
This November 29, on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, two Nice residents called for a silent vigil in the city center. A few dozen people gathered to place candles on the ground and display portraits of civilians marked “murdered by Israel”.
The department among the most affected by anti-Semitic acts
But, as every time since October, the organizers had to go through the administrative court to have the prefect’s ban invalidated. “The subject is hotter here than elsewhere, with around sixty anti-Semitic acts since October 7, we are in the top three departments” affected, he explained on Wednesday afternoon. His decree thus evoked “a serious and particularly worrying climate which the demonstrations, solely in support of the Palestinian people, contribute to exacerbating”.
So far, however, no incidents have been reported during these gatherings. “The prefect forces us to only support the people he chooses,” replied Amira Zeiter, one of the two organizers, on Wednesday evening, recalling the Israeli flag hanging from the pediment of the town hall and the pro-Israeli rallies at the call. local authorities.
He will continue to sign banning orders
Hugues Moutouh, for his part, affirms that the rallies in support of the Palestinians “have an anti-Zionist character”. “This does not promote peace and public order. And the organizers tell us that they are not in a position to control who comes or to organize security,” he believes.
The Nice administrative court followed him in banning a first demonstration on October 22 – which earned Amira Zeiter twenty-three hours of police custody – but then invalidated all his orders in the name of freedom of expression. ‘expression.
A new gathering has been announced for Saturday and the prefect has no intention of giving in, believing that even if rebutted, his bans at least make it possible to limit the virulence of the slogans. And his decrees, he assures, are not reserved for pro-Palestinians: “We are talking about a gathering of the identity right in preparation. I will ban it too,” decides the State representative.