In Marseille, the socialist mayor, Benoît Payan, jostled by environmentalists

This is not the birthday that Benoît Payan dreamed of. One year after the victory of the Marseilles Spring in the municipal elections, six months after taking office to replace Michèle Rubirola, the socialist mayor of Marseille is facing a series of turmoil within his majority and his executive.

Friday, July 9, during the last municipal council before the summer vacation, six elected members of Europe Ecology-The Greens (EELV), including four deputies, will officially leave the Marseille Spring group to found the Ecologist and Citizen Group.

Among them, members of the Debout Marseille list, an autonomous candidacy piloted by EELV in the first round of municipal elections in 2020, such as Sébastien Barles or Nouriati Djambae. But also pillars of the Marseille Spring since the creation of the movement such as Aïcha Sif, assistant for sustainable food, or Théo Challande Névoret, in charge of local democracy and the fight against discrimination, two close to Ms. Rubirola, who is not part of this new group chaired for six months by lawyer Fabien Perez.

“Not a belligerent act”

“In all the cities where environmentalists are in the majority, they have formed a group. Here it was a recurring question. As long as Michèle Rubirola was mayor, there was no reason to do so. When Benoît Payan replaced her, we did not want to add to the confusion. Today, the time has come to strengthen the ecologist’s voice in the municipal debate ”, explains Théo Challande Névoret. “The creation of this group is not a belligerent act against the Marseille Spring. We remain in the majority and we have complete confidence in Benoît Payan ”, adds Sébastien Barles, deputy in charge of ecological transition.

The socialist mayor and his entourage are accused of cutting themselves off from the civic effervescence that brought the Marseille Spring to power

Officially, the six secessionists even claim to want “Guarantee the spirit of Spring” to create “A greener, fairer, more democratic city”. “We want to put the environmental issue back at the center of public policies, serve as an interface for associations and residents who carry ideas and fights, and show that there is a memory of what was promised before the elections”, says Hervé Menchon, assistant to the management of maritime areas. “The real social emergencies of this city sometimes make you forget why we were elected”, replies Mr. Barles.

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