The commune of Drap, in the Alpes-Maritimes, has faced a political and symbolic storm since its decision to rename Boulevard Stalingrad. The Embassy of Russia in France reacted strongly by denouncing a “shameful decision” and a “worrying attempt to rewrite history”, after the vote of the municipal council of July 4 acting this change.
The new name, boulevard des Rives du Paillon, now refers to the local river. But for Moscow, this choice is not trivial. “The cynicism of one of the arguments put forward is particularly striking,” criticizes the embassy in a message published on Telegram. “It was in Stalingrad that Soviet forces inflicted a decisive defeat on the Wehrmacht, precipitating the collapse of Nazi Germany and contributing to the liberation of Europe. »»
The municipal majority assumes its choice
At the origin of the controversy, the words of the deputy mayor Alexandra Russo, who estimated in the columns of Nice-Matin that “the battle of Stalingrad is not a historical pride” and that “we must no longer highlight these great battles of the past which are not great moments for France”. Declarations deemed “blatant” in their distortion of the facts by the Embassy of Russia.
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The mayor (various right) Robert Nardelli tried to nuance, recognizing that his assistant had “went a little far in his words”, while assuming the decision of the municipal majority. At the local level, the opposition was quick to react. The Communist Communist 06 collective was indignant in a press release: “Should we understand that the municipality of Drap officially regrets this moment in history and that it would have preferred a Nazi victory? »»
