French PM booed during moment of silence in Nice

Valls dismisses calls for resignation as ‘attitude of a minority’ of coastal city recently rocked by deadly truck attack

By AFP 18 July 2016, 6:53 pm

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From left: Mayor of Nice Philippe Pradal; prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes department Adolphe Colrat; French Prime Minister Manuel Valls; and president of the Provence Alpes Cote d'Azur region Christian Estrosi observe a minute of silence on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice on July 18, 2016, in tribute to victims of the deadly Nice attack on Bastille Day. (AFP/Valery Hache)

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls on Monday was booed by crowds during a ceremony in Nice for the victims of the Bastille Day truck attack, later calling the jeers “disgraceful.”

Valls said the boos and calls for him to resign reflected the “attitude of a minority” in the city run by the opposition Republicans party.

Shouts of “Murderers!” and “Resign!” rang out as Valls and two ministers left the seafront where a huge crowd gathered for a minute’s silence to remember the 85 people mowed down on July 14 by truck driver Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, an AFP reporter said.

Emotions in France have been running high since the 31-year-old Tunisian rammed a 19-ton truck into a crowd leaving a fireworks display, leaving a trail of crumpled bodies in his wake.

An ID card in the name of terror suspect Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, alleged to have killed more than 80 people in Nice on July 14, 2016 (French police)

Opposition parties have accused the Socialist government of not doing enough to prevent the third major attack in France in 18 months.

The government has attempted to fend off the criticism, saying that Lahouaiej-Bouhlel had no known links to jihadist networks and claiming he became radicalized only recently.