• Lyon Antifa Festival created controversy this Sunday by announcing its 2021 edition, supposed to take place in December at the CCO in Villeurbanne, with a video teasing insulting the police.

  • We indeed see the Parisian rappers Lax and Original Tonio chanting during the 2015 edition of the festival "And all the cops are bastards".

  • The consequences of this controversy could be painful for the CCO, since Laurent Wauquiez announces withdrawing the subsidies from the cultural structure of Villeurbanne, to the tune of 45,000 euros per year.

A 45-second teaser may be enough to trigger the cultural controversy of the return to school in the Lyon region. In a hurry to announce its return after two years of absence, Lyon Antifa Festival slipped into this short video, shared this Sunday on social networks, an excerpt from a rap concert of the 2015 edition. Parisian artists Lax and Original Tonio chant with the audience: "And all the cops are bastards". This militant festival, born eight years ago, presents itself on its site as committed "against repression, and in support of the victims of fascism and the police".

The union of national police commissioners reacted quickly on Twitter, after discovering this insulting video, and awaits action from the public authorities: “This event incites hatred and presents serious risks of disturbing public order.

We demand its ban ”.

If he does not speak of a ban on the event, Laurent Wauquiez has also protested against this teaser.

This event incites hatred and presents serious risks of disturbing public order.

We call for its ban.

@GDarmanin @Interieur_Gouv @prefetrhone @auvergnerhalpes #Police https://t.co/MNjbrdq0XV

- Commissioners of the National Police SCPN (@ScpnCommuter) September 4, 2021

"They clearly crossed the red line"

"This concert was tolerated until then out of respect for the diversity of opinions, but they clearly crossed the red line by openly insulting the police in a very heavy context, indicates the president of the Auvergne-Rhône region. Alps to

Progress

. It is unacceptable to denounce violence in one sense when our police officers are attacked every day. "

The elected LR did not delay to announce a strong decision against the Ecumenical Cultural Center (CCO) Jean-Pierre-Lachaize of Villeurbanne, supposed to host the anti-fascist event in December.

Subsidized by the region to the tune of 45,000 euros per year, "the social and cultural laboratory" could lose very much with this controversy.

“We cannot consider that there are no links between the antifa festival and the CCO, insists Laurent Wauquiez.

As soon as the latter has a responsibility, I decided to immediately cut all subsidies.

"

No trace of the event in the CCO's agenda

On the website of the Salle villeurbannaise, however, there is no trace of an upcoming Lyon Antifa Festival in its agenda. Contacted by

20 Minutes

, the CCO refuses to confirm the holding of this meeting in its room, on December 9 and 10, contrary to what is indicated in the famous promotional video, since deleted from social networks. Respectively president and director of the CCO, Marie-Ange Byard and Fernanda Leite have just reacted on Monday in a press release, announcing "to dissociate themselves from the video published by the Lyon Antifa Festival" and "to condemn the stigmatization of the police".

“Since its creation, the CCO has been a place of welcome and expression of diversity of opinion,” they point out.

The Culture de classe association has in the past rented the performance hall to organize its Lyon Antifa Fest event.

But the festival this year is not announced on our side.

To date, there is no signed agreement for this new edition.

"

"Freedom of expression finds its limit in insult"

The managers of the Villeurbanne structure unsurprisingly wanted to respond to Laurent Wauquiez: “The subsidies granted by the region have no impact on the Culture de classe association. This allocation is in no way used by the CCO for this type of event for which we are not the organizer. The CCO welcomes more than 50,000 people each year. Its activities of associative and cultural incubator allow many project leaders to benefit from support, training and expression of the power to act. If the withdrawal of this operating subsidy is effective, this would directly impact those activities which are not linked to the organization of this festival ”.

The CCO can hope to count on the support of the mayor (PS) of Villeurbanne, Cédric Van Styvendael, who said on Monday in a press release: "With the CCO, we will be looking at the follow-up to this situation as of today and in particular on the format and the conditions of organization of this event ”.

Also vice-president for culture at the metropolis of Lyon, Cédric Van Styvendael continues: “Insults and calls for hatred are criminally reprehensible.

These insults are unacceptable and dangerous.

We must be relentless and unambiguous when it comes to comments aimed at law enforcement and inciting all forms of hatred.

Freedom of expression finds its limit in insult, and the pretext of artistic freedom to circumvent the law is no excuse ”.

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  • Laurent Wauquiez

  • Society

  • Police

  • Villeurbanne

  • Antifa

  • Festival

  • Lyon