Article from Nice-Premium on Ségolène Royal’s rally published on Saturday: click here
The atmosphere was good and friendly, the press room well-organized and filled with a delicious buffet, and local leaders were thrilled with the work done before their protégée arrived. Everything was perfect when Ségolène showed up in a heated Leyrit hall from previous speakers and the audience’s eagerness to finally see a socialist candidate, absent from the city of Nice for 33 years. She came, she spoke, she promised, and the already captivated crowd responded with regular chants of “Ségolène President.” A superbly performed “Bella ciao” by the Zebda troupe, echoed by the crowd, punctuated an evening definitively marked by openness and amiability.
After the speech and acclaim ended, Ségolène Royal was preparing to leave the Nice stage, and photographers were therefore getting in position to “take the portrait” of this potential future first President. Our Publishing Director, wearing the hat of a photographer for the occasion, was positioned with his colleagues near a guard of honor made up of young Azurian socialists and a security cordon preventing supporters from getting too close to their dream. “What do you have!!” was the question asked insistently twice by one of the security cord members to our photographer. “Why are you talking to me like this?” was the response, bad given the reaction of the individual, which led our colleague to be “grabbed by the collar” and promptly taken towards the exit. Despite his press badge and vain attempts to discuss, expulsion was imminent, and it required the intervention of Azurian socialist leaders to calm the situation and allow Franck Viano to rejoin the press room rather than the sidewalk of a Leyrit hall known for its boxing matches… but usually in a ring.
“It wasn’t the security detail we had originally planned but a squad that arrived from Marseille. We had everything arranged for Ségolène Royal’s visit, but plans suddenly changed a few hours before the rally, and security management was under the responsibility of the Marseille authorities.” The Nice organization thus has nothing to reproach itself for in setting up an evening awaited by so many supporters and reacted as best as possible during and after the incident.
However, the behavior of this individual still poses a real problem for the freedom of the press, which took a hard hit in a Leyrit hall that was absolutely not meant for such excess as it was filled with good humor. Counted but not out, we will always be there to try to give you the information as best as possible.
Ciao bello, ciao!
