It's not just ham that divides Tonneins. In a post on Facebook, dated October 19, 2024, former RN candidate Rémi Duprat, who made headlines this winter by wanting to appropriate the name “Jambon de Tonneins”, asserts, among other things, that with his “fictitious job” at the Community of Communes of Confluent and Coteaux de Prayssas, Jérémie Bespéa has plenty of time to go “strutting”. Enough to raise eyebrows of the elected representative of the Toninque opposition, who, at the time, had chosen to file a complaint for public defamation, with the gendarmerie.
“No fear”
“This gentleman had already called my director ten months ago to complain. The latter had warned him that he risked defamation. Despite everything, he reiterated his comments on the social network; so he's the ham and I'm suing him for defamation. Whether you are in the countryside or not, you cannot write just anything,” says the ex-real estate agent. According to the latter, Rémi Duprat should have received the summons on Christmas Eve, as an end-of-year gift.
It's small of him, but that's what happens when you upset people
But for his part, the former candidate, since excluded from the Lepéniste party, assures that he has no legal summons in hand. And shows no signs of worry. “I don’t know about it, but I don’t regret anything. It's small of him, but that's what happens when you upset people. I have no fear. He thinks he is the mayor of Tonneins. We are investigating this fictitious job with my lawyer and someone from General Intelligence, and I am waiting for justice to do its job. Between now and the elections, there will undoubtedly be other lists,” says the man who will not say no to a new candidacy.
In the meantime, both are expected to return to court – or at least through their respective lawyers – before the end of January. “We are asking for damages of around 2,000 euros. It's symbolic. Eighteen months before the race for the mayor's chair, if it starts like that, it's the door open to everything,” denounces Jérémie Bespéa.
