In Nice, the name of the front page of the Hôtel des policies is the subject of debate: should it be named “Parvis Nicolas Sarkozy”, as proposed by outgoing mayor and re-election candidate Christian Estrosi? In addition to Nice-Matin, the PCF des Alpes-Maritimes, which supports the list drawn up by ecologist Juliette Chesnel-Le Roux, believes that several other spaces in the city should be renamed and proposes alternatives “to toponymy that are compatible with republican values”.
The party’s departmental secretary, Julien Picot, who will be a candidate next March on a list of leftist unions, lamented that certain street names were “reminiscent of oppression, collaboration or corruption”.
“The memory of a city is also written in the names of its streets. These names reflect what we choose to honor: freedom or authoritarianism, justice or compromise,” he believes.
“Demand for dignity and loyalty to republican values”
In local newspapers, the communists cited several examples, such as Avenue Thiers, “reminiscent of the Communards’ executioners, could be Avenue Louise-Michel, a tribute to a free and committed woman.” The same fate befell Avenue Jean-Médecin, the former mayor of the city who had voted full power to Philippe Pétain in 1940 and was linked to the founding of Jacques Doriot’s party in the Alpes-Maritimes department. “It could be renamed Avenue de la Victoire contre le Nazisme.”
The communists also wanted to touch on recent political history and proposed renaming Charles-Pasqua alley, which “a man also condemned”, to “Malik-Oussekine alley, in memory of the young victims of police violence” in 1986 in Paris.
“This proposal is not a controversy, but a demand for dignity and loyalty to republican values,” assured Julien Picot. They reflect a clear desire: that Nice pay tribute to those who fought for freedom, social justice and peace. »
In March, the PCF will be represented on the list of ecologist Juliette Chesnel-Le Roux, who is also supported by the Socialist Party. No recent polls have been conducted on the Nice city elections. But the task promises to be difficult for the left-wing union: in 2020, Christian Estrosi was well ahead in the first round with 47.62% of the vote, followed by RN Philippe Vardon (16.69%). The left group, divided into three lists, collected 26.77% of the vote.
