Attacked on Facebook by an Internet user, the mayor of Cagnes-sur-Mer takes legal action: a hearing in June?

On Facebook, a "digital satire sniper" - as he likes to introduce himself in the intro to each of his acerbic posts - is exposing himself to a backlash.

Behind his keyboard and his username, one user has finally established himself as one of the fiercest critics of the mayor of Cagnes-sur-Mer, Louis Nègre. And the latter does not intend to remain impassive in the face of repeated attacks. On May 5, 2025, the members of the municipal council were informed that a request for functional protection for defamatory remarks had been made to the prefect.

Information confirmed by the mayor's lawyer, Philippe Chrestia: "This commentator is insinuating that the mayor is facilitating real estate transactions, in this case by the Erilia group, to enrich himself personally. This amounts to accusing him of corruption. I have therefore issued a direct summons (1) to the judicial court. Everything will depend on the judge's decision, but it is likely that the hearing will be held in June."

Calls the elected official a "municipal lord"

In his columns, which he himself considers burlesque, literary and vitriolic, the internet user attacks the mayor's Les Républicains policy from all angles. The future La Villette district? "A floodplain" that "the municipal lord named Louix Négropoulos (....) is ready to transform into a haven of peace." The recently modernized Canebiers swimming pool? "A puddle for 60,000 souls," which he describes as a "republican shipwreck." The Erilia real estate project at Villas Fleuries? He compares the social landlord to "a Vichy prefect." Thus, with his outspoken words, his shocking phrases, without restraint or nuance, "the native of Cagnois" posts and reposts several times a day his mood pieces or those of opponents of the municipality.

(1) Direct summons allow a victim of public defamation to sue the perpetrator before the criminal court without a prior police investigation.