The big lie about Algeria launched by French MEP Sarah Knafo has not been without consequences.
The Algerian state reacted firmly by filing a complaint with the French courts.
The elected representative of Eric Zemmour’s party had publicly maintained that Algeria receives 800 million euros in development aid from France each year.
This false figure was put forward last week by Sarah Knafo on RMC.
“Do you know, for example, that we give 800 million euros to Algeria in public development aid?” she said, adding that even China, “the world’s leading economic power”, also benefited from French public aid of 120 million euros.
“While we are making appeals for donations to finance scanners at the Georges Pompidou hospital,” she regretted.
These remarks, which caused a great stir in France, were quickly denied. A quick check by the TF1 channel allowed the truth to be re-established.
The parliamentarian had already put forward the same thing last June, the result of a manipulation of the figures from the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) published in April.
The amount of 800 million euros is in fact the total for 5 years, from 2017 to 2021, or 130 million euros per year, according to TF1.
The Algerian state finally reacted to these untruths by announcing that it was filing a complaint.
“A complaint has been filed by the Algerian State with the Paris judicial court for the dissemination of fake news against European MP Sarah Knafo, from the Reconquête party,” Algerian Radio reported on Wednesday, September 25.
Algeria files complaint against French MEP Sarah Knafo
The Algerian public media outlet recalls that the parliamentarian in question “is the partner of Eric Zemmour, who has been convicted of racial hatred for several times and is known for his anti-immigration and especially anti-Algerian positions.”
This is not the first complaint against Sarah Knafo following these false statements.
Last Monday, the Franco-Algerian lawyer Nabil Boudi announced that he would take legal action against the elected official for the reconquest for spreading fake news.
“A complaint will be filed with the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office against this Member of the European Parliament for spreading fake news,” wrote on X the lawyer who also defends Algerian boxer Imène Khelif in her complaint for “aggravated harassment” filed in Paris against certain world personalities who attacked her during the last Paris Olympic Games.
A complaint will be filed with the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office against this Member of the European Parliament for spreading fake news. https://t.co/3tdegZpsIT
— Nabil Boudi (@BoudiNabil) September 21, 2024
In addition to the verification carried out by TF1, many Internet users have very easily dismantled Sarah Knafo’s allegations.
Algeria is a financially well-off country and does not depend on development aid.
The “Algerian Union” page on X shared the ranking of states that receive development aid and Algeria is not included, even with Sarah Knafo’s false figure.
