Nice’s mayor Christian Estrosi spoke to the press on Thursday, March 12 to respond to questions about the pig’s head discovered in front of his home at the end of February. The elected official claims he wants to “know the truth” and rejects any involvement, while the judicial investigation continues and several people have been questioned in recent days.
On Thursday, March 12, Christian Estrosi held a press conference this afternoon. A surprise statement that comes in a context of rumors surrounding the pig’s head affair discovered in front of the mayor’s home on February 27.
The official claims he wants to “put an end to the rumor”. The elected official is calling for the judicial investigation to conclude quickly: “I want a truth that the sooner it arrives, the better it will be.”
The statement comes after several days of speculation surrounding the ongoing investigations. Some information suggests the existence of links between people questioned by investigators and the mayor’s entourage.
Christian Estrosi rejects any participation in any kind of staging: “Can one imagine for a moment that I could have participated in this machination?” the mayor said during the press conference.
The elected official explained that surveillance camera images played a central role in the early stages of the investigation. “The police forces, from the minutes following, were able to consult the images and it is moreover thanks to the images from my own urban supervision center that they were able to identify in whole or in part a certain number of protagonists. I filed a complaint so that those who could be the authors of this manipulation could be identified,” Christian Estrosi clarified.
The incumbent mayor also mentions the personal consequences of the affair. Christian Estrosi says he is “the victim of an absolutely vile machination” and mentions repercussions on his family.
He also made it clear that he no longer wishes to speak publicly about this matter “until the complete and entire truth has been revealed,” he who is still in the midst of campaigning for municipal elections.
A judicial investigation still ongoing
The judicial investigation opened by the Nice prosecutor’s office continues. The investigation concerns in particular acts of “public incitement to hatred or violence on the grounds of religion” and “aggravated violence targeting an elected official”.
On Wednesday, two men and two women were questioned in this context. On Thursday, March 12, the two men remain in police custody.
According to several sources close to the case, the hypothesis of foreign involvement now appears to be ruled out by investigators. The investigations are turning toward a manipulation that could come from the mayor’s political entourage. At this stage, no evidence makes it possible to establish whether Christian Estrosi was aware of such an initiative.
Several of the people questioned are known to the official. One of the two men still in police custody is a former officer from the Directorate of Territorial Surveillance, aged 79 and now a private detective.
When asked about this information, Christian Estrosi criticizes certain press publications. “When I see reports from anonymous sources in the press that say there is a personality […] who would be a former DST member who has moved into far-right identity movements being eagerly relayed particularly by comments from a press that is much more favorable in this electoral campaign to the far right, like you I want to know the truth,” the mayor of Nice declares.
The context of an act reported at the end of February
The affair begins on February 27, 2026. That day, Christian Estrosi announces on social media the discovery of a pig’s head hung on the gates of the mayor’s home. A photograph of the official is also found on the scene with an insult and a Star of David.
Christian Estrosi immediately describes the act as “abject”. The announcement comes as the official is running for a fourth term in the 2026 municipal elections.
In the days that follow, several hypotheses circulate publicly. The possibility of an antisemitic act is mentioned. The idea of foreign interference also appears in the debates.
The investigation then evolves with the arrest of two Tunisian nationals. Analysis of one of the suspects’ phone reveals communications with a close collaborator of the mayor of Nice.
Faced with these elements, Christian Estrosi had publicly mentioned “dirty tricks” and an attempted infiltration of the municipal campaign. The official accused the far-right sphere by naming Pierre-Édouard Stérin.
The French entrepreneur then announced, through his lawyer, the filing of a defamation suit against Christian Estrosi.
The two hypotheses put forward by the lawyer
On Thursday, March 12, Christian Estrosi appeared alongside lawyer Me Gérard Baudoux who is on the municipal list led by the incumbent mayor.
Me Gérard Baudoux indicates respecting the confidentiality of the investigation. The lawyer nonetheless confirms the existence of an “infiltration attempt” in the political entourage of Nice’s mayor.
“We wish for the masterminds to be identified. But neither directly nor indirectly, it cannot be my client. There are two hypotheses: those who infiltrated certain collaborators of Christian Estrosi did so deliberately to harm him. The second hypothesis: they did things without my client knowing.”
Before concluding the press conference, Christian Estrosi posed one final question: “what are the risks facing the city of Nice if someone attempts to manipulate the city, its mayor and part of its administration?”
The investigation opened on March 6 by the Nice prosecutor’s office also covers the charges of “fraudulent access to an automated data processing system containing personal data” and “criminal association for the purpose of committing offenses”. The investigation continues to identify the perpetrators and any masterminds of the operation.
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