French far-right MEP Marion Marechal is set to face trial in September over claims she falsely accused an association that runs a private Muslim school of links to the Muslim Brotherhood.
While the Muslim Brotherhood is not outlawed in France, authorities view the movement as promoting values, particularly through educational institutions, that conflict with France's strict secularism, or laicite - a foundation principle of the republic.
In 2023, Ms Marechal publicly alleged that the school operator, Values and Success, was affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, describing the group as sharing goals with Al Qaeda and ISIS, according to a legal document reviewed by AFP.
Ms Marechal, grand-daughter of French far-right political figure Jean-Marie Le Pen, who died in January, is a prominent voice in the nation's politics. She is the niece of three-time presidential candidate Marine Le Pen.
The association at the centre of the controversy runs a small private school in the south-eastern city of Valence, teaching about 40 pupils. As a non-contract institution, the school is not bound by the national curriculum and can set its own education programme. Values and Success filed a defamation lawsuit against Ms Marechal early last year.
The group has been under scrutiny since 2022, when it attempted to buy land from the local municipality. French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo published an article linking the association to the Muslim Brotherhood, a claim that triggered public outcry.
The land sale, initially approved by the city council, was ultimately blocked after intervention by the local prefecture, which has administrative authority at departmental level.
Following the article, Values and Success sued Charlie Hebdo for defamation but the magazine was acquitted on appeal. The court ruled that "the accusation of proximity between the school and the Muslim Brotherhood ... is a matter of free debate" and an "infinitely subjective value judgment", according to AFP. The court also noted the Muslim Brotherhood movement is not banned in France.
In a Facebook page dated June 21, Values and Success complained of "facing unprecedented persecution". It said "the reasons given are arbitrary and profoundly unfair" but did not mention the Muslim Brotherhood.
