The prefectural order concerning the gathering of the Collective “for a Just and Lasting Peace between Palestinians and Israelis,” notably including the PCF06, has been issued, and it will not please all parties.
The hope was slim, and now it is extinguished, or almost. Only an appeal to the Administrative Court can now change the situation. Scheduled for this Saturday, November 4th at Place Garibaldi in Nice, the call to demonstrate for peace, which the Communist Party of the Alpes-Maritimes has widely disseminated, will have to wait.
A hard blow for the organizers who consider this decision of “another time”: “We find it scandalous that the Prefect can ban demonstrations for peace; we have never seen that. We thought we were in a democracy. Certainly, it went up to the Council of State, and the law permits this, but these are clearly practices from another time,” comments Julien Picot, departmental secretary of the PCF of the Alpes-Maritimes.
Disruptions to Public Order Anticipated
Suspected by the Prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes of potentially undermining the respect of human dignity and, thus, public order, the gathering takes place in a particularly tense geopolitical context. It is feared even more as the situation evolves with the focal point being the counter-offensive on the Gaza Strip, which is likely to amplify protests. Some talk of a pro-Palestinian demonstration, a misstep according to Julien Picot: “More than that, we defend the self-determination of all colonized peoples, whoever they are around the world.”
The order also considers that this demonstration takes place in a context of terrorist threat, which requires a high level of internal security forces to ensure the protection of people and property against the risk of attack. The rise in anti-Semitism, which has resulted in an increase in anti-Semitic acts evaluated at 857 by the Ministry of the Interior since the attack on October 7th, is a factor that Hugues Moutouh, the new Prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes, did not fail to recall.
For the activists, optimism remains with an appeal that should soon deliver its verdict. Stay tuned…
