Overview
- Eric Ciotti says Philippe Tabarot told him “I will make you disappear by sending Georgians” during an encounter in Nice, an incident he reports took place on Sunday at the Bharat Innovates event.
- Ciotti filed a signalement with the Nice prosecutor on June 14 and on June 16 sent a public letter to Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu asking that Tabarot be removed from the government.
- The Nice prosecutor, Damien Martinelli, confirmed receipt of the signalement but said no formal criminal investigation will start until a written complaint is lodged.
- Tabarot’s team rejects Ciotti’s version, saying the minister was responding to repeated provocations and accusing Ciotti of politicizing the episode ahead of local senatorial contests.
- The clash highlights a long-running rivalry on the right in the Alpes-Maritimes and could have political fallout locally and at Matignon depending on whether Ciotti files a complaint and how the government responds.