At the initiative of the prefect Didier Lallement, part of the elected officials of the Council of Paris paid tribute on Friday to Christophe Girard, the deputy for Culture pushed to resign due to repeated attacks targeting his links with the writer Gabriel Matzneff . Enough to jump some environmentalists, allies of Anne Hidalgo.

A month after the municipal elections, Anne Hidalgo's new majority is faltering. The supporters of the Mayor of Paris and environmentalists clash over the case of "Christophe Girard", the deputy for Culture pushed to resign, Thursday evening, by elected representatives and feminist activists who point to his links with Gabriel Matzneff. This "affair" was invited Friday in full Council of Paris - the first of this new mandate - when the prefect of Paris, Didier Lallement, "addressed a Republican salute to Christophe Girard".

"I would like to address a Republican greeting to Mr. Christophe Girard, greet the man. I am not talking about politics, I am not here for that", declared the prefect. The tribute was applauded by a standing room, except Alice Coffin, one of the elected environmentalists, who repeatedly shouted "shame!"

Standing ovation to #conseildeparis for Christophe #Girard after a "Republican salute" expressed by Didier Lallement, joined by Anne Hidalgo.

The elected @ EELV_Paris @ alicecoffin shouted "shame on you". The sound of the broadcast was cut off at this precise moment. pic.twitter.com/tB1Splh2ab

- simon louvet (@simonlouvet_) July 24, 2020

>> READ ALSO - Matzneff affair: the Parisian elected Christophe Girard defends himself from the critics

"It is hopeless to witness such a scene"

"I could not not react. I am both seized with immense anger but also a lot of emotion. It is hopeless to attend such a scene," she told Europe 1. While the Paris council continued, Anne Hidalgo announced in a statement that she would take legal action for "the serious public insults pronounced against the town hall". According to her, the two elected ecologists "place themselves outside the majority".

The green group remains united

"Not at all" replies Alice Coffin. "There is a disagreement on the case of Christophe Girard, but the question of the departure of the majority does not arise", she assures. The green elected representatives repeat it: "Either our whole group comes out of the majority, or no one. We are united!". In the event of departure, this would weaken Anne Hidalgo since she would thus lose the absolute majority for the rest of her mandate.