Le Figaro Nice
A tribute paid at the foot of a memorial caused a little discomfort at the start of the week at the edge of the Baie des Anges, in Nice (Alpes-Maritimes).
Since the sudden and obscure death of Alexeï Navalny on February 16, wreaths in his honor have been laid at the foot of the monument dedicated to the memory of the victims of the attack of July 14, 2016 on the Promenade des Anglais.
If at first it was just a few roses and a photo, after three days the word had spread.
Numerous bouquets but also candles and signs covered part of the base.
This challenged the associations of victims of the ram truck attack (86 dead, more than 450 injured).
The Promenade des Anges, Mémorial des Anges and Life for Nice collectives therefore contacted the Nice municipality to request that these bouquets of flowers be moved elsewhere.
Something which was done on Tuesday, not far away, in front of the miniature replica of the Statue of Liberty also located on the Promenade des Anglais.
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"Lack of respect"
“It’s always a lack of respect for the victims
,” notes Jean-Claude Hubler, president of Life for Nice.
He specifies:
“We have absolutely nothing against Alexeï Navalny, but this is not the right place to pay tribute to him”
.
He even thinks of a form
of “ignorance”
, far from bad intention in any case.
According to him, what this work by Jean-Marie Fondacaro represents, entitled
The Angel of the Bay
and inaugurated in 2022, is still not well enough indicated and therefore understandable.
The plaque is
“illegible”
, judge Jean-Claude Hubler, who would like a
“panel”
to be installed to avoid the various inconveniences of tourists sometimes sitting there to eat.
Last year, the associations also pointed out the lack of maintenance of the monument.
Contacted, the Russian Alliance of the Alpes-Maritimes explains that it helped move the flowers once notified by the town hall and says it understands the demand of the associations of victims of the attack.
Initially, an important memorial monument in the Riviera capital to pay tribute to the opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin had been targeted.
Nearly 10,000 Russians are said to be based on the Côte d'Azur, including a large community in Nice, which explains this tribute paid to Alexeï Navalny by some of the nationals.