Nissa Rebela. This is the name given to the grouping of identitarians from the Nice region who have settled in Nice in recent years. This movement, which originated the famous pork soup served at the Port of Nice despite a prefectural ban, has just announced the candidacy of two members in the legislative and municipal elections in Nice.
Philippe Vardon, the leader of this group, will be a candidate in the 1st district and is expected to participate in the municipal elections, while Benoรฎt Loeuillet will be in the legislative race in the 2nd district. Their deputies are not newcomers to the Nice scene, as they include Dominique Lescure, initiator of the pork soup at the port, and Damien Derey, who is entering his second electoral contest after his candidacy during the partial cantonal election of Nice 7 where he collected 1.87% of the votes.
Nice Premium met with General Counselor Jean-Franรงois Knecht who has recently challenged the Prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes to request “the activation of state services to have the most complete elements about this or these groups” in order to proceed with the dissolution of what he calls an “extreme right-wing group.”
Nice Premium: JFK, you have challenged the Prefect regarding the Identitarians of Nice. Can you explain your choice?
Jean-Franรงois Knecht: A few months ago, a group from Nice belonging to the “Identitaires” block was involved in beating up a young man who did not have the right skin color. In the name of “solidarity,” this same group distributes pork soup to the homeless. This action, directly inspired by similar actions in other cities in France and Belgium, has only one goal: to popularize a message of hatred and rejection of certain communities.
Nice is considered one of their strongholds by the Identitarians, and the latest statements by its mayor can only reinforce their feeling.
We cannot accept this state of affairs. Nice is republican, the law is the same for everyone, and the state representative must enforce it.
NP: A demonstration was organized in Nice following the meeting. Did you receive an answer and what do you expect from the Prefect?
I expect the Prefect to show authority by curbing the unhealthy activism of these people and to initiate procedures that could lead to the dissolution of this extreme right-wing group.
NP: Two Identitarian candidates will be present in the legislative and municipal elections. Your thoughts on these candidacies?
It is always surprising to see primary anti-parliamentarians running for elections. The Republic is generous, yet they continue to flout it. I hope they get a score that makes them reflect, provided they are indeed truly candidates.
NP: What do you think about the appropriation for the Identitarian cause of Nice icons such as Sรฉgurane or Garibaldi?
It’s a paradox, but it’s always the same, nationally it’s Joan of Arc, the tricolor, in the provinces it’s the local heroes that the far right tries to appropriate. The paradox? It’s that these “icons” convey universal values: honor and courage, and the universality of values is something foreign to these groups turned in on themselves.
