PARIS — A controversial fundraising campaign to help the family of the policeman who killed teenager Nahel M. in France has topped €1 million.
The campaign was launched on popular U.S. platform GoFundMe by a French far-right figure and on Monday reached the €1 million mark — nearly five times more than a fundraising effort to help the 17-year-old’s mother.
Despite the controversy, GoFundMe said it wouldn’t take the campaign down.
On Monday, French ministers invited on radio and TV shows painstakingly tried to avoid taking a stance on the subject.
“Everyone can express their feelings and contribute to a fund … But I think, in this case, that it doesn’t go in the direction of appeasement,” Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti told France Inter.
The killing of the 17-year-old of North African descent by a police officer last week has thrown France into chaos, sparking violent demonstrations across the country and re-igniting long-simmering tensions between the youth and the police, who have been accused of brutality and racial discrimination.
In the past days, rioters have looted stores, burned down city halls and police stations, and in one case attacked a mayor’s home and his family.
Tensions appeared to have slowed down Monday morning. On Sunday night, about 157 people were arrested — a sharp decrease compared with previous days. The police and the government remain on high alert.
The fundraising campaign to help the police officer’s family was initiated by Jean Messiha, a far-right media figure and backer of former presidential candidate Eric Zemmour. “Support for the family of the Nanterre police officer, Florian.M, who did his job and is now paying a heavy price,” the page reads.
According to Libération, Messiha first tried to launch the campaign on French fund-raising platform Leetchi, but his effort was blocked after a few hours as the company asked for official documentation.
GoFundMe has so far no plans to block or delete the page. A spokesperson for the company told POLITICO that the fundraising campaign did not violate the platform’s rules.
“Currently, this campaign complies with our terms of use as the funds will be paid directly to the family in question. The family has been added as a beneficiary and therefore the funds will be paid directly to them,” the spokesperson explained. Funds used for the legal defense of violent crimes as well as hate speech are not allowed on the platform.
A rival fundraising effort on Leetchi to help the killed teenager’s mother has reached nearly €200,000.
Océane Herrero contributed reporting.
