It is common for local politicians to point out the impotence of the State, a clever way of deflecting criticism from their constituents. It is rarer for these skirmishes to take such a violent turn as the one opposing, in the heart of this summer of 2024, the mayor (Horizons) of Nice Christian Estrosi to the prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes, Hugues Moutouh. For several weeks, the former has been severely and publicly criticizing the representative of the State in the department, judging him incapable of leading the fight against drug trafficking in his city. For several weeks, in response, the prefect has come out of his reserve to defend, without naming names but without mincing words, his action and that of his troops. Between the two men, the story had not started so badly, it has singularly deteriorated in a local context of escalation in security and migration matters. Hugues Moutouh does not, however, have the reputation of being lax on these subjects.
The first blow came from Christian Estrosi. At the end of July, when a fire linked to drug trafficking had just cost the lives of seven people in the Moulins district, the mayor of Nice demanded, in The Parisianthe replacement of the senior official: “I want the urgent appointment of a competent prefect who does not mince words.” He criticizes Hugues Moutouh for not being able to prevent drug dealers from returning to the neighborhood and for not enforcing the curfew he introduced for young people. Speaking to local media, Hugues Moutouh retorts: “I would refer you to this poster put up on the walls by Winston Churchill’s government during the Blitz, the bombing of London, Keep calm and carry onkeep calm and continue your work normally.”
The truce is only temporary. Monday, August 12, in Nice Morning This time, Christian Estrosi insists: “There is a real problem of command, competence and responsibility. I am requesting the urgent appointment of a prefect dedicated to the fight against drug trafficking in the Alpes-Maritimes.” A few hours later, between two tweets on the risks of fire and the dangers of the heatwave, the response appears on the official X account of the prefecture: “At a time when the President of the Republic, in a moment of national harmony, has just praised the work of the security forces who greatly contributed to the success of the Olympic Games, the State services and their representatives are being violently attacked in Nice. […] To combat delinquency, there is no miracle recipe or magic potion. All that matters is the work of these women and men placed on the front line by the Republic. In Nice, as everywhere else in the department, there are none better! I am proud to be at their head.”
The mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi
© / afp.com/Valery HACHE
Hugues Moutouh does not like people to doubt his determination. When he arrived in the Alpes-Maritimes last October, he was preceded by a reputation as a “bulldozer” that he himself had helped to forge. And which is far from displeasing to him. In office in Hérault since July 2021, he has made an impression. On the very day he took office, he defined his method in front of journalists: “A prefect must move quickly and know how to play the role of a bulldozer”. A month later, he had the largest shanty town in Montpellier destroyed with excavators. In a city where public and community stakeholders have long been working on a concerted plan to eliminate shanty towns, the prefect’s brutal action is shocking. Over the months, common ground is found but the reputation as a bulldozer remains.
Good lawyer but often disavowed by the courts
Advisor to Nicolas Sarkozy at the Elysée, then to Claude Guéant in 2012 at the time of the Merah affair, prefect of Drôme before joining Occitanie, Hugues Moutouh has often taken very firm positions on sovereign issues. Even if it means being disavowed by the courts. The man, although a qualified law professor, a lawyer with a well-established reputation, is keen to show his firmness through symbolic gestures. For example, he decides to close places suspected of radical Islamism, a bookstore, then the non-contract Muslim high school in Nice. In both cases, the administrative court overturns his decisions. Similarly, at the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024, he bans pro-Palestinian demonstrations every week for “risk of disturbing public order” and, every week, the court, when notified, authorizes the gatherings.
In terms of migration, in this department which is home to the Franco-Italian border, he does not hesitate to play the good student, claiming, for example last January, to be the first to implement the obligations to leave French territory (OQTF) version of the Darmanin law on immigration, easier to apply than previously.
In fact, Hugues Moutouh maintains good relations with part of Macronie. As L’Express reported, he was regularly consulted by Emmanuel Macron on security and migration issues. As Prefect of Drôme, he filed a complaint when a protester slapped the head of state on the sidelines of a trip. In Hérault, he distinguished himself by banning the use of “portable sound devices” (in other words, pots and pans) so as not to disrupt a visit by Emmanuel Macron. The initiative earned him mockery.
The only misstep was last February, when he authorised a meeting between Jordan Bardella, the leader of the National Rally, and a company of CRS, in Saint-Laurent-du-Var, which was filmed by an RN MP. The Interior Ministry regrets this “error of judgment” and requests an administrative report. Gérald Darmanin issues an instruction to all prefects, police and gendarmerie chiefs to remind them that these visits must not be publicised.
With Christian Estrosi, the beginnings were courteous. Even before his arrival in the department, the mayor of Nice enjoyed Hugues Moutouh’s remarks on the sidelines of the July 2023 riots. The prefect had then declared on France Bleu: “I know that in 2019, Parliament banned spanking, […] But if tomorrow you catch your kid going out into the street to burn police vehicles or throw stones at firefighters or loot stores, what’s the method? It’s two slaps and off to bed.” And his appointment is appreciated. But that’s without taking into account the local political context.
Engaged in a silent struggle with Eric Ciotti in the run-up to the 2026 municipal elections, Christian Estrosi needs to constantly show that he is acting for his city and its constituents. The results of the legislative elections at the beginning of July, where the National Rally won more than 33% of the votes in the Alpes-Maritimes, to which must be added the 15% of the Les Républicains-RN alliance led by Eric Ciotti, against 28% for the Republicans, led him to toughen his tone against his eternal rival. In May, Christian Estrosi denounced in the Figaro the government’s inaction in the fight against drug trafficking. At the time, he was targeting Prime Minister Gabriel Attal and the Minister of Justice, Eric Dupond-Moretti. Now, even the very firm Hugues Moutouh clearly no longer finds favor in his eyes.
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