The mayor (various left) of Verdun, Samuel Hazard, filed a complaint on Friday against a right-wing activist who he accused of defaming and insulting him on the sidelines of a mass in honor of Philippe Pétain held on November 15 at a church in his town, his lawyer said.
This complaint targets Pierre-Nicolas Nups, a former candidate for the 2024 legislative elections in Meurthe-et-Moselle under the banner of the Parti de la France, as well as the party, namely Me Fabrice Hagnier.
Under boos, Pierre-Nicolas Nups performed “Marshal nous voilà”, a song praising the leader of the Vichy regime, on the day of a mass organized by the Association to defend the memory of Marshal Pétain (ADMP).
In his complaint, the mayor accused Pierre-Nicolas Nups of insinuating on his social networks that he had prevented him from entering the church – even though this was the result of the prefect’s decree, which restricted access to places of worship only to ADMP members -, treating him as a “dirty left-wing mayor” and claiming that he had “activated his network of Freemasons” to restrict access to the church. mass.
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A judicial investigation has also been opened against ADMP president, Jacques Boncompain, for alleged crimes against humanity, Verdun prosecutor Delphine Moncuit announced on Monday.
Jacques Boncompain, who had asserted in Verdun that Philippe Pétain was “France’s first resistance fighter” and that he had “saved” the Jews, should be questioned on November 27 as part of this investigation, the judge said on Friday, quoted by regional daily Est Républicain.
“There are no facts of a criminal nature against the Catholic Church,” prosecutors also told the newspaper, noting that the priest who celebrated the mass, Gautier Luquin, was also not charged, contrary to initial information presented.
In a press release issued Thursday, the Diocese of Verdun assured the priest of its support. The Mass he celebrated was “at the request” of Monsignor Philippe Ballot, apostolic administrator (i.e. interim bishop) of Verdun, “in strict compliance with the legal framework and religious police”, the diocese stressed. “Prayers for the deceased are not a political position at all,” he added.
