French minister under fire over anti-extremism fund / Photo: Thomas SAMSON - AFP/File
-
Trans women barred from women's football by English, Scottish FAs
-
Oil prices drop, stocks diverge amid economic growth fears
-
Israel brings fire near Jerusalem 'under control', reopens roads
-
Lopetegui appointed coach of Qatar
-
UK counter-terrorism unit probes rappers Kneecap but music stars back band
-
Yamal heroics preserve Barca Champions League final dream
-
2026 T20 World Cup 'biggest women's cricket event in England' - ECB
-
Bangladesh begins three days of mass political rallies
-
Children learn emergency drills as Kashmir tensions rise
-
Millions of children to suffer from Trump aid cuts
-
Veteran Wallaby Beale set for long-awaited injury return
-
Syria's Druze take up arms to defend their town against Islamists
-
Tesla sales plunge further in France, down 59% in April
-
US calls on India and Pakistan to 'de-escalate'
-
Israel reopens key roads as firefighters battle blaze
-
Europe far-right surge masks divisions
-
James will mull NBA future after Lakers playoff exit
-
Ukraine's chief rabbi sings plea to Trump to side with Kyiv
-
Australian mushroom meal victim 'hunched' in pain, court hears
-
Lakers dumped out of playoffs by Wolves, Rockets rout Warriors
-
Booming tourism and climate change threaten Albania's coast
-
US reaching out to China for tariff talks: Beijing state media
-
Tariffs prompt Bank of Japan to lower growth forecasts
-
Kiss faces little time to set Wallabies on path to home World Cup glory
-
Serbian students, unions join forces for anti-corruption protest
-
Slow and easily beaten -- Messi's Miami project risks global embarrassment
-
Fan in hospital after falling to field at Pirates game
-
Nuclear power sparks Australian election battle
-
Tokyo stocks rise as BoJ holds rates steady
-
Bank of Japan holds rates, lowers growth forecasts
-
'Sleeping giants' Bordeaux-Begles awaken before Champions Cup semis
-
Napoli eye Scudetto as Inter hope for post-Barca bounce-back
-
Germany's 'absolutely insane' second tier rivalling Europe's best
-
PSG minds on Arsenal return as French clubs scrap for Champions League places
-
UK WWII veteran remembers joy of war's end, 80 years on
-
Myanmar junta lets post-quake truce expire
-
Rockets romp past Warriors to extend NBA playoff series
-
Messi, Inter Miami CONCACAF Cup dream over as Vancouver advance
-
UN body warns over Trump's deep-sea mining order
-
UK local elections test big two parties
-
US judge says Apple defied order in App Store case
-
Seventeen years later, Brood XIV cicadas emerge in US
-
Scorching 1,500m return for Olympic great Ledecky in Florida
-
Israel's Netanyahu warns wildfires could reach Jerusalem
-
Istanbul lockdown aims to prevent May Day marches
-
ReelTime's (RI) Revolutionary Music Generator Now Available to the Public Allowing Commercial Audio Production Capabilities in Most Languages to the RI Community
-
Tradable Bits Launches High-Performance Data Reporting Tool Octane for Live Event Organizations
-
Pivotree Announces Divestiture of Warehouse Management Assets to Tecsys
-
Tharimmune Abstracts Accepted for Presentation at Upcoming DDW and EASL Conferences
-
Metallic Minerals Highlights Significant Critical Minerals Potential Including Rare Earth Elements and Other Strategic Metals at La Plata Project in Colorado
French minister under fire over anti-extremism fund
French junior minister Marlene Schiappa, who made headlines this week for a clothed Playboy photoshoot, is at the centre of accusations of alleged misuse of cash from an anti-radicalism fund set up after the beheading of a teacher.
Schiappa, whose ministerial brief covers the social economy and associations, spearheaded the creation of a 2.5-million-euro ($2.7 million) fund in her previous job at the interior ministry.
It is meant to finance the fight "separatism" after the 2020 killing of history teacher Samuel Paty by an Islamic extremist.
But journalists from broadcaster France 2 and weekly Marianne cast doubt last week on the work carried out by a Paris-based charity that was one of the biggest recipients of the public cash.
The interior ministry has begun an audit, and Paris prosectors confirmed to AFP that they were examining a complaint filed by an interministerial anti-radicalism committee.
Members of Paty's family said Tuesday that they were "especially wounded by recent revelations... about the questionable use of the subsidies... and the lack of controls".
"Samuel Paty's name should never and in no way be an instrument for such schemes," they added.
Schiappa announced the creation of the "Marianne Fund" -- named for the symbol of the French republic -- in April 2021.
It would "finance people and associations who will speak out to promote the values of the republic and to fight against separatist narratives, especially on social media and online platforms", she said at the time.
There is no suggestion of any legal wrongdoing on Schiappa's party in the way the funds were used.
The suspect beneficiary, an association known as USEPPM, reportedly used some of the money for videos and social media posts that were each seen by fewer than 50 people -- but most of it went to pay two former directors.
Cyril Fergon, a lawyer for USEPPM's new management, told AFP that such payouts were against the association's statutes.
One of the men who was paid by the group, Mohamed Sifaoui, has warned on Twitter that he will launch legal action against anyone who "defamed" him.
The minister's fully-clothed interview with Playboy earned her a slap on the wrist from Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, who said the interview was not to her "taste".
But Schiappa has defended the photoshoot, saying that in France "women are free" to do what they want with their bodies.
J.Oliveira--AMWN