The gathering in memory of Thomas Perotto planned for December 1st at 3 PM in Nice is banned by a prefectural order.
The decision was announced shortly before noon, the demonstration on December 1st in memory of Thomas Perotto, who was stabbed in Crépol, Drôme, is banned by the Prefecture of Alpes-Maritimes. It was supposed to take place from 3 PM at the Place du Palais de Justice in Nice.
Hugues Moutouh cited “risks of public disorder, clashes, and the persistence of the terrorist threat”. The excesses of various demonstrations organized by right-wing and far-right sympathizers in France since Thomas’s death on November 18th have greatly influenced this decision.
The prefect specifically mentioned “the violence committed during the demonstrations organized by far-right activists on November 25th and 26th, 2023, in Romans-sur-Isère” and “the organization of an unauthorized far-right sympathizers’ march in downtown Lyon on November 27th, 2023, which led to the arrest of 8 people.”
In Nice, a banner reading “Justice for Thomas, Generation Z” was illegally displayed above the André Malraux Tunnel on November 25th.
A former member of Génération Identitaire behind the gathering
In the prefectural order, the prefect specified that the organizer of the demonstration, Gaëtan Le Mouillour, is a former member of “Génération Identitaire.” The movement became known primarily after an anti-migrant operation in the Pyrenees.
This far-right group was dissolved by a ministerial council in March 2021. The decree from the Ministry of the Interior behind this decision mentioned an association that promotes “through its actions, publications, and the behavior and statements of its leaders or members, an ideology inciting hatred, violence, or discrimination of individuals based on their origin, race, or religion.”
The prefect fears that this call to demonstrate, “widely relayed on social networks,” will attract “antagonistic groups simultaneously looking to clash, leading to confrontations between different factions.”
The Old Nice, a battleground for rivalries between far-left and far-right
“The Old Nice area is regularly the scene of territorial rivalries between far-left activists and the local far-right, leading several times to violence between these two parties, as evidenced by the assault of a young communist activist on March 25th, 2023, during a demonstration that gathered workers and young people from Nice against the pension reform,” states the order.
The demonstration was intended to be static and take place in front of the Palais de Justice in Old Nice. The ban on demonstrating extends to a broader area, including this initial sector and the Port area.
The Place Masséna, Place Garibaldi, as well as major routes like Avenue Jean-Médecin, Avenue de Verdun, Boulevard Jean-Jaurès, or Rue Cassini are also affected by this ban, from 3 PM to 10 PM.
