The theme of Reunion is “that they return to Africa”. The socialist mayor has made a prohibition order on the grounds that he “undermines public order and is criminally reprehensible”.
MO12345lemonde with AFP
The town hall of Lille engaged on Friday, February 24, a standoff with the citadel, local seat of the ultra -right, against the organization in the evening of a meeting deemed racist, prohibited by a prefectural decree validated by the justice , but maintained by its organizers. The socialist mayor, Martine Aubry, announced during a press point that she had taken “a ban on the meeting”, entitled “that they return to Africa”, under the “police powers” of the authority municipal.
Seized in summary proceedings by the citadel, the Lille administrative court had just validated a prefectural decree of February 15 prohibiting this “demonstration”, but arguing the risks of overflows on the public highway. In view of these reasons, the president of the citadel, Aurélien Verhassel, ex-member of the dissolved generation group identity, announced to the France-Presse agency the maintenance of the evening, which will only bring together “30 to 40 people “Within the premises, in the city center. He called possible sympathizers not to come to support on the public highway.
“Public provocation to hatred”
In its ban, the prefecture had invoked a title encouraging “racial hatred”. But she also pointed out the risk of seeing this meeting “standing on the public highway” at the very moment when a counter-demonstration is announced at 7 pm by unions and left-wing organizations. In its judgment, the court only resumed this last argument to judge the prohibition “necessary and proportioned” in the eyes of the risk of confrontation.
The prefect “had the opportunity to ban the meeting inside and outside the premises, he did not do it,” said M me aubry to justify His decree. “The fundamental problem is the theme of this meeting, which will attract many people, infringes public order and is criminally reprehensible,” she said. The municipal decree also points out that Mr. Verhassel’s remarks kept “recently and repeated on the subject of this meeting (…) constitute a public provocation to hatred and discrimination due to the origin, of the ‘ethnicity or religion “.
The prohibition of the evening was initially announced by the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, on February 9. Its title refers to the remarks of the RN Grégoire de Fournas deputy in the National Assembly, sanctioned for fifteen days of exclusion. In this case, the Lille prosecutor’s office opened on February 13 an investigation for “public provocation to hatred or violence due to origin, ethnicity or race”.
“On the occasion of this prohibition of demonstration, Georges-François Leclerc, prefect of the North, recalls that he will never leave the incentive to racial hatred to have the right of city in Lille as in the North”, a tweeted the prefecture in a first reaction to the court’s decision. 2>
“Power diversion”
In a second decision on this file rendered on Friday, the administrative court also authorized the reopening immediately of the establishment, which presents itself as a “patriotic bar” and a “house of identity”, By suspending the execution of a first municipal decree imposing its immediate closure on February 14. The town hall will appeal, said M me aubry.
The representatives of the citadel had denounced before the administrative court a “diversion of power” on the part of the town hall, who considers this premises as an establishment receiving the public (ERP), but without being declared as such, which According to her, his closure justified. Justice confirmed in its decision the qualification of ERP, but considers that the city should have “invited the association to regularize its situation and operate controls” before taking its decree.