Controversy in Ariege: When the verdict of the mayor of Lercul ignites social networks
Francois Lafon, the mayor of Insoumis of Lercul, has been the target of violent attacks for several days because of his violent statements against the students supporting Eric Zemmour.
“If some students voted for Macron, Giotti, Le Pen and even Russell, I don’t respect them that much… But if some voted for Zemmour, I consider them animals to be slaughtered.” According to the far-right website Boulevard Voltaire, one of the founders of which is the mayor of Beziers, Robert Ménard, this is what LFI mayor François Lafon said in front of Lercoul mayor François Lafon on January 25. students from Paris I Panthéon Sorbonne University.
A professor of modern world history with open commitments and a blunt verb, who now has to face a wave of attacks on social networks. Hundreds of tweets and retweets, many of them from Eric Zemmour-related groups or from the far right: Team Zemmour, Generation Z (Reconquest’s youth movement, Eric Zemmour’s party), Western Values, as well as individuals showing their signs. their membership in various far-right movements.
“I don’t want to be the new Samuel Paty”
If François Lafon’s statements are violent, the reactions are no less: “Call for murder”, “vile expressions”, “Ariege, the old communist fortress, another garbage to clean up”… Only one student dares to defend his teacher, the virulent reactions becomes the target.
François Lafon, for his part, prefers not to “throw oil on the fire” while ensuring that he assumes all his obligations, especially as the candidate of La France in the last regional elections. “I don’t see why anyone would be interested in the inner workings of a university,” he reacts. My personal address in Paris is posted on social media, I get abusive mail, I can’t even use my professional email… I don’t want to be the new Samuel Paty.”
Did he really make the comments attributed to him? Neither confirmation nor denial… But an investigation is underway at the University of Paris I, François Lafon confirms, “I will follow the decision of the university.” And it’s back to Ariege now…
Call for resignation for anti-Semitism
On Friday, January 27, five other members of the municipal council of Lercul, a town of only 15 residents at the foot of the Montcalm massif, issued a press release saying they “condemn in the strongest possible terms the anti-Semitic remarks made against them. last January 25 by François Lafon against Eric Zemmour before the students of the University of Paris I” and invite him to “resign immediately if he understands what the word honor means”.
A charge of anti-Semitism, which those interested struggle to justify with a verdict incompletely extracted from the Voltaire Boulevard site. “We have not quoted all the comments from the student union (the National Union of the Interuniversity, or UNI, classified on the far right and at the origin of the demand for sanctions against François Lafon, editor’s note),” wrote Jacques Garcia, François Lafon’s 2nd deputy. But if this is not anti-Semitic , is at least a call to murder.” Without acknowledging the differences between the mayor and his municipal team (read below). “The city council is taking the ball without understanding anything about this work that belongs only to the university,” François Lafone is content to react.
For now, the latter, despite his political commitments, decided not to participate in the January 31 mobilization against the pension reform. His municipal council should be accepted at the prefecture in a few days.
Lerkul municipal council during the election.
A ‘dysfunctional’ city council
It has nothing to do with the current controversy surrounding the punishment of François Lafon, assures Dominique Fossat, secretary general of the prefecture of Ariege, on February 6 with Lercul municipal councilors regarding the appointment. But with a municipal team struggling to function normally since its election in 2020, everything …
Dominic Fossat says: “The municipality and the municipal council have been inactive for some time. They no longer vote for anything, the budget has not been adopted, which forces the Regional Chamber of Accounts to close the deficit and the prefecture to regain control. This is a sign of a fairly significant malfunction. »
Jacque Garcia, the 2nd deputy of the municipality, recognizes this in his own way, and reminds of a mayor who “does nothing”, from whom all delegations withdraw, and his own municipal council bears the blame. “Monsieur accepted himself as a king, he used the money without asking, even if it was not embezzled,” continues Jacques Garcia. We tried to talk to him, but he is someone who gets angry easily when we don’t agree with him. »
Dominique Fossat is more balanced and direct: “The question of resignation arises for all elected Lercul, but it has nothing to do with recent events. I meet regularly with the mayor, I meet with elected officials, but individually I try to see how we can resume normal operations or push them to resign in order to organize new elections. So far they have no success, unfortunately… They are in opposition, irreducible and not very consistent. »
But the problem remains: how to renew the municipal team of seven people in a village of 15 people?
