“Paris bores you”, launches Rachida Dati

It didn’t take long before the Council of Paris turned to verbal confrontation on Tuesday, May 31. It was the first Council at City Hall after the presidential election for Anne Hidalgo. The socialist, who was a candidate for the ballot, suffered as expected the attacks in good standing from the Parisian right. It was Rashi Dati who opened hostilities, taking advantage of a reminder of the rules. “Paris bores you”launched the mayor Les Républicains of the 7th arrondissement of the capital, affirming that over the past year the rate of attendance at meetings of Anne Hidalo “barely exceeds 20% and continues to decrease”.

She then begins an indictment concerning the absences of the mayor of Paris. “This presence is as anecdotal as your score of 1.7% in the presidential election. Yes it hurts”, she tackles. The council then takes on the appearance of a schoolyard. Faced with the protests of the majority, it limits itself to repeating: “1.7%, 1.7%…” Anne Hidalgo’s response is not long in coming. “It escaped me that you won an election.”

The rest of the advice is in the same atmosphere. The elected LR systematically cuts off the floor and Anne Hidalgo answers him curtly. “This assembly will not be led astray in this pitiful and media circus.” The mayor of Paris then leaves the presidency of the session to make way for the first deputy, Emmanuel Grégoire – a mandatory measure when examining the administrative accounts of Paris. “My dear colleagues, we are going to suspend the session for five minutes”he finally announces. “There is no question of you disrupting the session out of disrespect, including vis-à-vis yours.” It will then be only the first of a long series of suspensions in this very agitated morning.