“You are intractable”slips an elected member of the municipal majority to a member of the opposition, on June 27, 2024, at Place des Halles, in Niort. The day before, the two municipal opposition groups, Niort énergie nouvelle and Solidaires par nature, sent a letter to the prefect of Deux-Sèvres and the public prosecutor of Niort, to denounce “serious acts of political proselytism”.
“There is political pressure exerted on young people”
In question, the emblematic technical director of the boxing club Le fist de Rencontre, recognized for his role in the integration of young people in the Clou-Bouchet district. In an article in La Nouvelle République published on June 22, 2024, we mentioned Michel Acheghan’s stated support for Bastien Marchive, municipal councilor of the majority and candidate in the legislative elections.
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During training, the boxer had notably ordered his young people to remain silent while the candidate’s campaign clip played on his phone, at the risk of being sanctioned by a series of push-ups. The same day, a photograph posted on the club’s Facebook page showed Michel Acheghan and a handful of licensees displaying Bastien Marchive’s campaign poster. “Until now, this support for the majority, which is not new, had been relatively discreet, but here, there is political pressure exerted on young people,” comments the elected official from the Niort Énergie nouvelle list François Gibert.
The only point of agreement between the municipal majority and the opposition: the importance of the work carried out by the club within the priority districts of Niort, particularly with regard to the integration of young people.
© (Photo archives NR, Camille Montagnon)
And to quote the republican commitment contract, which stipulates that the association receiving public subsidies “undertakes not to claim political beliefs”. Asked, the mayor of Niort Jérôme Baloge believes that nothing prohibits employees of beneficiary associations “to have an opinion and express it while respecting republican principles and our laws ». “Whether they do it as a citizen, why not, display it openly on the association’s page, what’s more in a blitzkrieg like this, it’s a problem”argues Elsa Fortage, elected member of Solidaires par nature.
“Despicable” allegations
In their letter, the elected representatives of the opposition also point out the subsidies paid by the municipality to the Fist of meeting, of 11,354 in 2024, which they consider “diverted from their initial objective (promoting sport) to finance political activities”. Allegations which caused a strong reaction from the mayor, who “reserves the right to initiate defamation proceedings” against its authors.
Same indignation on the side of Bastien Marchive, who does not hesitate to tackle the elected representatives of the opposition, close to the New Popular Front and its candidate Nathalie Lanzi. “I am not responsible for the enthusiasm and actions of my voters. Trying to smear an employee, an educator in a working-class neighborhood, for fear of losing three days before the first round, is despicable”he laments, as the campaign reaches its highest point.
