The former president of a nautical club in Marseille will appear before the criminal court on October 29 for the racist remarks he had made during a meeting in February, the prosecutor's office in France's second city said on Friday. .

During a meeting of the port council, under the aegis of the Aix-Provence-Marseille metropolis, Christian Tommasini, then president of the Pointe-Rouge nautical club, had mentioned the possibility of a "ratonnade", s' by taking in very virulent and pejorative terms to people qualified as "Arabs", according to statements reported at the end of April by the local investigative media Marsactu, recording of the session in support.

Faced with the outcry aroused by these remarks, the Marseille prosecutor's office seized it and opened a preliminary investigation.

"On May 5, 2021, Christian Tommasini was heard by investigators (...) concerning the facts of" public provocation to hatred or violence, discrimination and public insults against a person or d 'a group of people because of their origin or their belonging or not belonging to an ethnic group, a nation, a race or a specific religion "which are reproached to him", indicated the public prosecutor this Friday in a statement.

Two elected at the meeting

"At the end of his hearing, Christian Tommasini was issued a summons to appear before the Marseille Criminal Court on October 29," he said.

After having judged this controversy "totally ridiculous", at first, Christian Tommasini had finally resigned from his post of president of the nautical club of Pointe-Rouge on April 28, evoking "unfortunate remarks".

Two elected officials, an LR vice-president of the Metropolis and an elected representative of Printemps Marseillais, the left-wing majority at the head of the city, attended the council during which these remarks were made.

But the political condemnations, from the socialist mayor of Marseille Benoît Payan to the president of the Republicans of the metropolis Martine Vassal, had fallen at the end of April, after the revelation of the remarks by Marsactu.

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  • Marseilles

  • Racism

  • Court

  • Justice