Louis Aliot

During Louis Aliot's term, his partner Véronique Lopez was recruited as the city's deputy communications director, fuelling accusations of nepotism. Le Monde also documented internal criticism of several appointments and instability within the municipal administration, including the hiring of a chief administrative officer in 2021.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility

In February 2026, SOS Racisme accused the municipality led by Louis Aliot of reducing certain grants, withdrawing premises or adopting practices which, according to the association, amounted to a discriminatory policy towards organisations involved in anti-racism and social work.

Attribution

Direct responsibility

In September 2026, Louis Aliot stated that an RN government should 'turn off the tap' of aid to Ukraine. The phrase drew strong criticism from political figures who saw it as alignment with Russian interests and prompted the RN to clarify its position on honouring France's commitments.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

In the Front national European parliamentary assistants case, Louis Aliot was convicted at first instance in 2025 of embezzlement of public funds and was again found guilty on appeal on 7 July 2026. The appeal sentence was reduced to one year's imprisonment, suspended, a fine of 5 000 euros and a two-year suspended disqualification from standing for election. The case notably concerned the employment of Laurent Salles as a parliamentary assistant, when the judges found that the work benefited the party rather than the European parliamentary mandate.

Attribution

Established by a court

In September 2021, the mayor of Perpignan exercised the city's right of pre-emption over the Sainte-Claire convent, which the La Bressola association had intended to acquire for a Catalan-language immersion education project. The administrative court annulled the pre-emption in 2022. On 3 April 2025, the Toulouse Administrative Court of Appeal dismissed the municipality's appeal, finding in particular that the decision did not identify a sufficiently specific development project and that the city had not established the existence of such a project at the date of pre-emption.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility

The installation of a 'pessebre', or Christmas nativity scene, in Perpignan town hall led to litigation concerning the principle of neutrality of public authorities. In December 2022, the administrative court ordered its removal. The municipality subsequently sought to preserve the tradition by presenting it as cultural heritage, prolonging the controversy in 2023.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility

Louis Aliot defended a proposal to name an esplanade in Perpignan after Pierre Sergent, a former official of the Organisation armée secrète (OAS). The proposal triggered protests by associations, elected representatives and anti-racist organisations denouncing a rehabilitation of the OAS and a distortion of the memory of the Algerian War.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility

Louis Aliot's municipality adopted a new visual identity for Perpignan, notably replacing 'Perpignan la Catalane' with 'Perpignan la Rayonnante' and incorporating an image of Saint John the Baptist surrounded by a blue-white-red border. The choice prompted criticism concerning its religious and national references and the alleged erasure of Catalan identity, as well as a demonstration.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility

Shortly after Louis Aliot's election in Perpignan, the municipal council voted to increase the mayor's allowance by approximately 17 %, prompting political and media controversy over the remuneration of the new municipal leadership.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility

Texts published in 2008 through Front national outlets led to Louis Aliot's conviction for complicity in public defamation of Christian Baeckeroot. The Court of Appeal upheld a suspended fine of 1 000 euros and civil compensation; the criminal record mentioned in the 2025 judgement indicates that the conviction became final on 11 October 2011.

State of the evidence

Established by a court

Attribution

Personally implicated