"We'll go out if you want!": Éric Dupond-Moretti and Christian Estrosi almost came to blows in a Nice restaurant

The scene takes place at La Petite Maison, an upscale restaurant in Nice (Alpes-Maritimes). On Wednesday, October 22, Éric Dupond-Moretti was having lunch with friends. At another table sat Christian Estrosi , his wife, and his father-in-law. A verbal altercation then erupted, as reported by Le Canard enchaîné on Tuesday evening.

“Here, I’m with real friends…” the mayor of Nice remarked to the former Minister of Justice. The latter took offense at the comment from the man he considered a sycophant, who had supposedly betrayed Emmanuel Macron : “You’re just a permanent sycophant!” he retorted. “You’re a bit of a showman,” Christian Estrosi added, referring to his new life on the stage . “You’re not a bit of a showman!” the former star lawyer countered.

The two men resorted to threats. "I'm going to punch you," promised the mayor of Nice. Éric Dupond-Moretti remained unfazed: "We'll go out if you want!" Finally, Christian Estrosi backed down and blurted out: "You'll soon be facing an OQTF ( obligation to leave French territory ) in Nice."

When questioned by Nice-Matin , Nicole Rubi, the restaurant manager, downplayed the situation. "It wasn't a big argument, they've known each other for a very long time, there's even affection between them," she asserted.

The former Minister of Justice also downplays the significance of the exchange. "I was sitting quietly at the table. Estrosi came to my table to provoke me, he didn't behave well with me, we exchanged words, that's all," he explains.

Christian Estrosi acknowledges the veracity of the exchange, but affirms that he did not " insult " his interlocutor by calling him "a performing arts worker for the simple reason that I have far too much respect and consideration for them, whom I have defended and supported all my life . "

" I nevertheless pointed out to him that he was better as a freelance performer than in politics , with the conviction that there can be excellent freelance performers and execrable ministers," the mayor of the Côte d'Azur town retorted.

Also contacted by our colleagues, the CGT entertainment workers' union did not appreciate the remarks attributed to Christian Estrosi. "For the first insult to come out of his mouth to be this, it shows the lack of consideration and contempt he has for the nearly 300,000 freelance entertainment workers in France!" the union warned, noting with a touch of irony that "the bourgeoisie clearly no longer know how to behave."