During its holiday week, the team at Nice Première is pleased to offer you a compilation of its best articles. For this fourth day, you will find articles that have generated the most reactions over the past twelve months.
Far ahead with 886 reactions is the article on the Nice Mosque, in second place still religion with an interview of JC Picard which caused 162 responses. Third, an ANPE (National Agency for Employment) which could be better “.fr” with its 70 messages, in fourth place the name of the possible future great stadium of Nice which totals 62 messages, and the fifth Marc Concas and his Old-Nice which induced 42 reposts.
In short, there is a lot of talk on NP and we are pleased because you have the floor with each of our publications, do not hesitate for a single second to take it.
Happy holidays for the luckiest and an excellent week for the others.
Courts will have to judge the complaint filed by SOS Racisme against Jacques Peyrat, senator-mayor of Nice, and Auguste Vérola, his deputy in charge of religious affairs. The politics of Nice react to the establishment of a mosque in Nice and the accusation of racism. Auguste Vérola wished to speak out on this matter.
Auguste Vérola, Deputy for Religious Affairs and UMP general councilor: I am more disappointed than anything else. The complaint comes from SOS Racisme “Paris”. They must not know Auguste Vérola.
In Nice, I am known to be very open with everyone. Many people were surprised that I was accused of racism. SOS Racisme lumped me together with Mr. Senator-Mayor Jacques Peyrat because I am his deputy for religious affairs. It is known that for a year I have been somewhat “banned” by the mayor. It often happens that during official ceremonies I represent the Alpes-Maritimes general council and the mayor sends someone else to represent the municipality.
Regarding the mosque, a deputy for religious affairs, with a plural in “culte”, can only be supportive. We cannot prevent people from praying. It’s in the law. We must stop saying “a mosque is needed”. Let’s say “It Is Necessary”. Let’s sit around a table and discuss among secular and religious representatives.
Marc Concas, PS general councilor: From the moment a complaint has been filed, it is up to the justice to decide.
In any case and whatever its location, a mosque in NICE is an absolute necessity for reasons of dignity and safety.
The Muslim community deserves a real place of worship in NICE and we know that the prayer rooms, more or less clandestine, present dangers. Fires have been regretted.
The isolation in which Jacques PEYRAT wants to place the Muslim community can unfortunately only lead to the emergence of extremism.
Dominique Boy-Mottard, PS general councilor: A parking problem? We always find good reasons to justify less avowable feelings… That argument looks very much like a pretext!
Indeed, a few hundred meters from the building that the Moubarak association plans to acquire, Muslims currently meet to pray in conditions unworthy of a city where practitioners of other religions have the possibility to meet in real places of worship.
The cramped conditions of the current Muslim prayer places in Nice could one day lead to a real disaster (there have already been several alerts in this regard). Moreover, we know very well these poor conditions can become a breeding ground in which extremism develops. Moreover, many municipalities in France, from both the left and the right, have allowed all their religious communities to practice their faith with dignity and safety.
As for the mayor’s remarks, they are not really a surprise when we know the character and where he comes from. This is not a reason to accept them. I therefore perfectly understand SOS Racisme’s decision to file a complaint.
Bruno Dellasudda, Alternative city councilor: Defender of a secularism that is both open and vigilant, I associate myself with initiatives aimed at allowing men and women of the Muslim faith to practice their religion in a mosque in the city center, with equal rights with the other inhabitants of our municipality.
The issue of parking, even if it poses a real problem in the city center, can in no way be an obstacle to the practice of Islam under proper conditions. It is feared that behind this argument hides a hypocritical racism, similar to the one that hides behind the project to arrange a place of worship in the Var plain, thus far from the city center.
Jean-Christophe Picard, spokesperson for the Radical Left Party: We support the complaint filed by the SOS Racisme association against the mayor of Nice following the remarks he made against Muslims and which are quoted in Le Monde dated November 13, 2005.
This is a flagrant violation of article 225-1 of the penal code, which states that “discrimination is any distinction made between natural persons because of their membership […] of a certain religion” punishable, when committed by a person holding public authority, by five years of imprisonment and a 75,000 euro fine.
We note, with regret, that secularism is regularly flouted in Nice. These breaches are all the more unwelcome as, in a few days, we will celebrate the centenary of the law of December 9, 1905 on the separation of churches and state.
As for Jacques Peyrat, he did not wish to comment on his own remarks.
