Jacques Peyrat cut the traditional ribbon, unveiled the commemorative plaque, and delivered a speech at the podium in front of a large crowd and in the presence of the family and close friends of Jacques Médecin. “I fought for Jacques Médecin to have a dignified funeral. I fight for his memory like all his predecessors,” Jacques Peyrat justified. He enumerated all the sites in Nice named after former mayors or consuls across nearly a millennium of history. In the same vein, he listed everything Jacques Médecin had built in Nice over 25 years: The National Interest Market, the Mathis Way, Acropolis, the Theater, the Mamac, the Charles Ehrmann Sports Park, the Jean Bouin Sports Palace, the Francis Gag Theater, the Promenade du Paillon… “And you would want us to forget the man who did this for Nice?” he insists. He presents himself as a successor in the continuity of Jacques Médecin: “After him, I tried to continue the work of Jean and Jacques Médecin, and I will pursue it as long as my strength allows me.”
Jacques Peyrat explains the symbolism of this place. The Jacques Médecin Forum is located right in the center of Nice, adjacent to Place Masséna and offering an open view of the hills to the east, on the bell towers of Old Nice. This space was a favorite of Jacques Médecin in 1979. After demolishing the Municipal Casino and being surprised and charmed by the panorama, he decided to leave this expanse free of any construction. “All of Jacques Médecin is here in this space,” concluded the Senator Mayor.
He did not forget those who fought for this place not to be named after Jacques Médecin: “The absentees are short-sighted. Often, I lament that men are short-sighted and see only what is close in space and time. Jacques Médecin is 25 years of work for Nice. Those who are not here only see the end and not the whole. The short-sighted gathered in a conspiracy and went before the justice system.” Initially, the justice system refused to rename the Forum Masséna before finally agreeing. The opponents were absent on Wednesday. The deputies were too, as they were occupied at the National Assembly, but they arranged for representation. Auguste Vérola, the substitute for Muriel Marland Militello, was seen. Members of the close entourage of Rudy Salles and Christian Estrosi, politically born with Jacques Médecin, were also spotted. There was also the presence of some former municipal deputies recently ousted. Jacques Peyrat was not so alone after all…
