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IN PICS: Thousands gather in Nice for minute’s silence

Thousands of people gathered to observe a minute of silence on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice on Monday, in tribute to the 84 people who were killed when a truck ploughed through crowds on the same walkway just days before.

Published: 18 July 2016 12:01 CEST
Updated: 18 July 2016 14:39 CEST
The crowds showed up to the promenade for a tribute at midday, many bringing French flags and flowers. The minute's silence was accompanied by the ringing of church bells across the country. 
 
 
 
 
But the mood wasn't just a sombre one – Prime Minister Manuel Valls was booed on arrival in Nice by some members of the crowd (see video below).
 
 
One woman shouted “Resign, Manuel Valls!”, reported AFP.
 
Valls later condemned as “disgraceful” the boos he endured, and said the jeers and calls for him to resign reflected the “attitude of a minority” in the city run by the opposition Republicans party.
 

After the silence, a cannon roared out and the crowd applauded (see video below). 

The crowd also was quick to cheer for local firefighters who were also at the scene. 

Social media users shared videos of the crowd singing a slow and chilling version of the national anthem, La Marseillaise, which prompted another round of applause from the crowd.

Elsewhere in France, many respected the minute's silence as well.

In Paris, President Francois Hollande and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve (pictured on the right and left respectively below) took part at the Hotel de Beauvau at the Interior Ministry.

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RELIGION

French electrician sues Netflix for labelling him a radical Islamist

A French man of North African origin has accused Netflix of racial discrimination for labelling him a radical Islamist in an action movie for which he was filmed without his knowledge, his lawyer said on Monday.

Published: 15 June 2021 08:25 CEST
French electrician sues Netflix for labelling him a radical Islamist
The Netflix movie Sentinelle was set and filmed in Nice. Photo: Valery Hache/AFP

Sentinelle, set in the southern city of Nice, tells the story of an elite French soldier returning from service in Syria who embarks on a mission to find the man who raped her sister.

One scene shows the protagonist, Klara, looking through the sights of her rifle at two young friends saying goodbye to each other.

The scene was shot on the Promenade des Anglais, the seaside walk where a Tunisian radical mowed down 86 people with a truck on July 14th, 2016.

The French subtitles Netflix provided to describe the scene for the hard of hearing refer to two young “barbus” – a derogatory term for ultraconservative Muslim men that means “the bearded ones”.

One of the men, a 21-year-old electrician from Nice, filed a criminal complaint against Netflix over the description, accusing the company of “provoking discrimination and racial hatred,” his lawyer Jean-Pascal Padovani said.

“The director took the liberty of drawing a line between the North African features of the people he filmed… and religious fundamentalists,” Padovani said.

That the shot was filmed at the scene of one of the worst terror attacks in French history was even more suggestive, he added.

“It’s unacceptable as it suggests that anyone of North African origin is a potential terrorist,” Padovani said.

A spokesperson for Netflix, which was targeted by the complaint as the film’s broadcaster, declined to comment on the matter when contacted by AFP.

It has, however, removed the term “barbus” from the audio description.

Padovani said that his client had received over 80 messages from acquaintances who recognised him in the film, which was shot in 2019 and began streaming on Netflix in March.

Some expressed shock at seeing him depicted as a terrorist, he said.

The complainant is also considering suing Netflix for using his image for commercial purposes without his permission, Padovani said.

Sentinelle was directed by French film-maker Julien Leclercq.

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