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From "Nicolas President" to "Bienvenue Sarkozy": When a former French head of state goes to prison

Auteur: AFP

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De "Nicolas président" à "Bienvenue Sarkozy": quand un ancien chef d'Etat français part en prison

"Nicolas, come back quickly": Around a hundred people gathered early Tuesday morning outside the home of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy to "support" him before he leaves for La Santé prison.

From dawn, around 7:30 a.m. (5:30 a.m. GMT), a large police presence cordoned off the streets surrounding the former president's home, the Villa Montmorency, a private neighborhood in the affluent 16th arrondissement, in the west of Paris.

At this time, only a few supporters are already there, ahead of the meeting launched a few days earlier on social networks by Louis, one of the sons of the former head of state.

There are currently more journalists, including many from foreign media.

Marie-Joséphine Paysa, an 80-year-old Parisian who claims to have "always been right-wing," came before sunrise "to support him."

Prya Martin, 62, left her home in the Paris suburbs at 6:30 a.m. to make sure she was there on time.

Support for the former president (2007-2012) is gradually pouring in to the gates of the Montmorency villa, where two French flags have been hung. One of them reads, "Courage Nicolas, come back soon."

Protesters also waved tricolor flags.

- "Soviet Union" -

"Nicolas, President!" and "Nicolas, to the Élysée!" the crowd regularly chants. Nostalgics even bring the official framed portrait of the former president.

At 8:30 a.m., there were now around a hundred of them, the majority with graying temples, singing the national anthem "La Marseillaise" at regular intervals.

They are given T-shirts with the image of "Sarko" and the inscription "The end of history is not written...".

Among the supporters are also figures from the French right: former European deputy Gérard Longuet, former deputies Christian Jacob and Henri Guaino, and former French police chief Frédéric Péchenard.

Several participants were moved to tears, like this resident of the 16th arrondissement, who denounced the "political trial" which resulted in his sentence to five years in prison, with immediate effect, in the case of Libyan financing of his 2007 presidential campaign.

An opinion widely shared among the crowd: the participants protested against a judicial decision that they considered "unjust" and "inadmissible," speaking of a France "governed by petty judges."

"We're in the Soviet Union!" one protester even goes so far as to protest.

"This imprisonment achieves nothing, except to humiliate Nicolas Sarkozy and humiliate our country," said Valérie Ghibeaux, 66. "It's a sad day for France," declared Flora Amanou, 41.

- "There's Sarkozy" -

Nicolas Sarkozy's children, Jean, Louis and Giulia, are the first to leave.

Around 9:10 a.m., the former president appeared, his expression grim, wearing a shirt and blazer. Holding hands with his wife, Carla Bruni, dressed entirely in black, he stepped forward to greet the crowd and embrace his children.

Then he hugs his wife, gives his supporters a final salute, before getting into the car, to applause and cheers. The car is headed to La Santé prison, about ten kilometers away.

The convoy arrived shortly before 9:40 a.m. in front of the prison, where a demonstration by prison guards had taken place at dawn to denounce prison overcrowding.

The prison doors close behind the former president.

A few welcoming whistles pierce the high walls of the Santé building. "Sarkozy's here," shouts one inmate. Another calls out: "Oh! Welcome Sarkozy!"

Auteur: AFP
Publié le: Mardi 21 Octobre 2025

Commentaires (12)

  • image
    Mamadou il y a 1 jour

    Mdr 😂 le karma c’est plus les jeunes de la banlieue la racaille mais Sarkozy mais bon toi au moins tu es rentré du mauvais côté de l’histoire reste en prison pour le reste de ta vie .

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    Auteur il y a 8 heures

    saway déth way....

  • image
    Poseidon badji il y a 8 heures

    Quelle indignité ! Sarkozy n’est pas suffisamment rentré dans l’histoire, un verre à la santé…

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    Bravo il y a 1 jour

    Comme c'est trop bon de voir ça.

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    apirie il y a 8 heures

    yeurmendé

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    Elgrande il y a 1 jour

    Lui est bien entré dans l'histoire !!!

  • image
    galsen il y a 7 heures

    deet way yene dolene fater quoi :)

  • image
    Trahison il y a 1 jour

    Tous les dirigeants qui avaient coalisé pour trahir Khadafi ont été humilîés.

  • image
    babs il y a 1 jour

    oui, tous ceux à causes de qui des millers d'innocents sont morts

  • image
    @Trahison il y a 7 heures

    Kadhafi lui même était un détourneur dans cette mafia de criminels internationaux.

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    El il y a 1 jour

    Bientôt au Sénégal un ancien president ira aussi en prison

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    Luc il y a 23 heures

    Enfin Sarkozy est rentré dans l'histoire mais par la petite porte de la Santé !

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    injuste il y a 22 heures

    c'est injuste ! Il devait avoir un simple numéro d'immatriculation et être mis en tenue de détenu sinon pire
    la loi devrait être plus dure pour ceux qui ont eu de hautes responsabilités s'il finissent par être condamnés, au lieu de quoi ce sont toujours les petits délinquants qui paient
    l'incarcération d'un ex président doit devenir une banalité pour que les hommes élus ne jouent avec le pouvoir ...

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    Kilifeu pca honnête il y a 10 heures

    Golo, en France il n'y a pas de tenues de detenus, y compris pour les pourris et ton panafricain de Versailles kiffe sa vie...FESMAN ya bon et Joola c'était doux ?....

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    Mamadou il y a 10 heures

    Deux policiers en prison avec Nicolas Sarkozy : « Une décision visant à assurer sa sécurité », répond le ministre de l’Intérieur
    Le ministre de l’Intérieur Laurent Nuñez a justifié ce mercredi la décision de placer deux policiers chargés de la sécurité de Nicolas Sarkozy dans une cellule voisine de la sienne à la prison de la Santé.

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    Doywar il y a 10 heures

    Il prends l'argent de Khadafi, il le tue et il va en prison de santé.......

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    @Doywar il y a 7 heures

    Il n'a pas tué Kadhafi ne dis pas n'importe quoi.

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    vieux il y a 6 heures

    Bien mérité...Je lui souhaite un sejour trés dur

  • image
    vieux il y a 6 heures

    Il n´a pas tué Khadafi mais il a participé á sa liquidation

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