The event announced by the collective All Citizens! plans a series of activities throughout April. The municipality states it does not support the nature of these festivities and condemns an unauthorized organization.
The Spring of Migrations is set to begin this April 1st at 4 PM with a festive march from the corner of Gambetta and Promenade des Anglais to Garibaldi Square. The festival, supported by about twenty associations, is partly driven by the collective All Citizens!, presided by David Nakache. This left-wing activist of the movement “Viva! Democracy, Ecology, Solidarity” managed to share this event with the press and on social media.
“Let’s migrate, from neighborhood to neighborhood, from inside to outside, from art to art, from place to place, without borders,” wrote the organizers on the event’s website. The program includes many activities and presentations in different neighborhoods of the city, including public demonstrations. This is what doesn’t sit well with the Nice executive who claims not to have been consulted and did not grant its authorization.
The migration issue at the heart of disagreements?
With its slogan “When the walls fall”, the demonstration aims to celebrate the freedom of migration, open the debate on immigration, while celebrating culture through, notably, theatrical performances, film debates, concerts, and shared meals.
The municipality condemns a “provocative program,” which it considers ill-timed “while French society is going through a period of high tension and unrest.” It specifically highlights the participation of Cédric Hérrou during the evenings of April 13th and 14th. The municipality describes the activist as “known for helping smuggle illegal immigrants into France”.
The city of Nice announces that it will be “inflexible regarding this type of event” and does not wish to be associated with such values by allowing these events to take place “in venues it owns or in public spaces.”
