Aurore Bergé at the bedside of traders with Pierre Oliver: "Astonishing" judges Grégory Doucet

The tension between Lyon's Green mayor, Grégory Doucet, and the Minister for Gender Equality, Aurore Bergé, has continued and (probably) ended. A few hours before officially launching the Eurogames at City Hall this Wednesday afternoon, the Renaissance representative was walking through the shops on Rue de la Charité, accompanied by Pierre Oliver, the LR mayor of the 2nd arrondissement and candidate for the 2026 municipal elections.

Read also: "I don't know what he's afraid of": on a visit to Lyon, Minister Aurore Bergé tackles Grégory Doucet

A stroll that sparked anger in the Green Party executive on Tuesday evening. Anger to which the minister responded this morning in front of the press: " I don't know what he's afraid of (...) If the mayor of Lyon is nervous, that's his problem. " In the process, Grégory Doucet answered questions from our colleagues at Tribune de Lyon , on the sidelines of the opening of the Eurogames.

While he welcomed Aurore Bergé's visit as " a sign of recognition of the region's commitment ," the mayor said that " the minister's agenda was constructed in a somewhat surprising way ." He added to our colleagues: " I myself am surprised that she took the time, and especially that she began her visit to Lyon with a stroll with Pierre Oliver. "

A more cordial and republican tone than the rhetoric from her entourage that appeared in the press Tuesday evening, which accused the minister of campaigning for the mayor of the 2nd arrondissement at taxpayers' expense. Aurore Bergé was indeed far removed from the prerogatives of her ministry when she went to interview Ainay's shopkeepers about their difficulties, particularly those related to traffic. It's hard not to see this as a helping hand to her longtime friend Pierre Oliver, who was all smiles and kept to herself during this brief visit.

The mayor of Lyon nevertheless wanted to respond to our colleagues on the substance, defending his actions on commerce. " I hope she will have taken the time to look at what is being done by the municipality and the Metropolis, and that she can draw some experiences from it to share at the government level ," he said. He added: " I would have been very happy to mention to her what many merchants are calling for, namely the possibility of regulating commercial leases. "