Pension reform: Eric Ciotti's permanent office in Nice stoned

Europe 1 with AFP 10:37 am, March 19, 2023

The parliamentary office of Eric Ciotti in Nice was stoned in the night from Saturday to Sunday to "pressure" and that he votes Monday the motion of censure on the pension reform, reported on Twitter the president of the Republicans. "Last night my office was stoned. The thugs who did this want by violence to put pressure on my vote on Monday, "wrote the deputy of the Alpes-Maritimes, photos in support. We see one of the windows in pieces and the inscription "the motion or the pavement".

Other elected officials targeted

"I will never give in to the new followers of the Terror," he added. In favour of the highly contested pension reform, Eric Ciotti has already indicated that his party would not vote "any" of the motions of censure tabled against the government, so as not to "add chaos to chaos". But a handful of MPs from his camp have already announced that they will at least vote for the cross-party motion put forward by the independent group Liot.

That night my permanence was stoned.

The thugs who did this want to violently put pressure on my vote on Monday.

I will never give in to the new disciples of the Terror. pic.twitter.com/8sgs3q85HF

— Eric Ciotti (@ECiotti) March 19, 2023

Opponents of the pension reform are using the weekend to express their anger, after the activation Thursday of 49.3 by the Prime Minister, and before the debate Monday in the Assembly on the motions of Liot and the RN. Other pro-reform parliamentarians have also been targeted since Thursday.

Stickers were pasted that day on the permanence of the deputy of Val-de-Marne Mathieu Lefèvre (Renaissance) and that of the senator of Pas-de-Calais Amel Gacquerre (Centrist Union) was tagged Friday. The prosecutor of the Republic of Colmar, Catherine Sorita-Minard, confirmed Sunday to AFP the opening of an investigation for "intimidation against an elected official", after damage to the permanence in Colmar of the deputy of Haut-Rhin, Brigitte Klinkert, former minister delegate for Insertion.

"Demonstrating is a right. Destruction is a crime."

Inscriptions such as "you vote against us, we will remember it" have been affixed to it, as reported by the newspaper L'Alsace. Renaissance MP Karl Olive testified that he came to RMC's studio on Sunday under police protection, after receiving threats. "Demonstrating is a right. Destroying is a crime" and "I wish we had a firm hand," he said about retaliation against elected officials.

On Thursday evening, the boss of the Renaissance deputies Aurore Bergé had asked the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin to "mobilize the services of the State" for the "protection of parliamentarians".