The organization SOS Racisme has decided to file a lawsuit against the Mayor of Nice for religious discrimination following his statements about the establishment of a mosque in the downtown area of the fifth largest city in France.
SOS Racisme is responding to remarks made by Jacques Peyrat in Le Monde, stating that “This is not the time, in the face of urban violence and the rise of radical Islam, to establish a land of Islam in the heart of Nice. I will oppose any mosque establishment in Nice.”
The complaint, received by the Public Prosecutor Mr. Eric de Montgolfier, also targets Auguste Vérola, the deputy in charge of worship in the Nice city hall.
At the heart of this dispute is a building in the downtown area that the Moubarak association intended to purchase and transform into a prayer site, which is currently lacking in one of the largest French cities. The transaction was reportedly halted by the Nice City Hall, which allegedly pressured the owner to refuse the sale.
Jacques Peyrat, who declared he would “prefer to arrange the prayer site located in the Plaine du Var (Sonacotra)”, is supported by the CERC (Committee of Residents and Merchants) of the Coeur de Ville district, which launched a petition against the mosque’s installation in their area, stating that it would pose a serious parking problem.
So, whether it’s a parking issue or racist discrimination, it will ultimately be up to the justice system to decide in this thorny and recurring problem posed by the construction of a Mosque in a city where, however, Synagogues, Orthodox Churches, and other places of worship coexist without issue.
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