The Divers right mayor of Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, Philippe Gaudin, performed a Nazi salute in front of the elected officials of his town, Saturday April 20. The chosen one regrets a “joke”.
A controversial gesture towards elected officials. The mayor (DVD) of Villeneuve-Saint-Georges (Val-de-Marne) Philippe Gaudin, performed a Nazi salute in full municipal council, Saturday April 20, reports The Parisian. It was during a session devoted to the vote on the municipal budget, which was particularly tense, that the elected official lost his temper. In a context marked by tensions for several months, some of the majority’s elected officials have turned their backs on him.
Accused of having “allied with the far right to win the city in 2020”, the mayor would have tried to respond to the opposition’s attacks. “I don’t want to hear that here anymore, it’s unbearable,” said Philippe Gaudin. “I’m giving you a warning and suspending the session,” he initially declared. But when it was time to suspend the municipal council, he gave a Nazi salute to the room, shouting “Heil,” according to the newspaper.
“We must put this matter into perspective”
The dissident deputy of the majority, Emmanuelly Gougougnan-Zadigue, denounced an “unforgivable” attitude and announced that a complaint would be filed against the councilor. An opposition municipal councilor notably announced “to seize the prefect and the Prime Minister so that the mayor is dismissed”. Louis Boyard, deputy (Nupes) for the 3rd constituency of Val-de-Marne, protested. “Today, the mayor of Villeneuve-Saint-Georges made a Nazi salute in the municipal council. For two years, I have alerted the prefect to the drama playing out in this city abandoned by its elected officials. A city that mistreats its residents, Gérald Darmanin, organize new elections,” wrote the MP.
Interviewed by BFMTV, the councilor wants to defuse the controversy. “For me, it was more of a joke than anything else. I completely understand that the gesture was unfortunate. For me, we must put this matter into perspective! It is not at all a gesture of belonging,” said reacted the chosen one.