France - Algeria: Open Letter from OMSAC Regarding the Public Statements of Ms. Sarah Knafo

Lyon, April 11, 2025

Open Letter from OMSAC Regarding the Public Statements of Ms. Sarah Knafo

Subject: Official Denunciation of Ms. Sarah Knafo’s Statements and Announcement of Legal Action for Incitement to Hatred and Threat to Public Order

Mr. President of the Republic,Madam President of the National Assembly,Mr. President of the Senate,Madam Defender of Rights,Mr. President of the CNCDH,Mr. Minister of the Interior,Madam President of the European Union Human Rights Commission,Madam United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights,Ladies and Gentlemen of the national and international press,

The World Organization for Anti-Corruption and Crime Security (OMSAC), through its President Mr. Mourad MAZAR, wishes to express its deep concern following the public statements made by Ms. Sarah Knafo in a video that has recently gone viral. Although these remarks were made public nearly three weeks ago, OMSAC has taken the necessary time to conduct a meticulous analysis of their content.

The day after her speech, our Executive Bureau tasked the Legal Department with thoroughly evaluating the nature, scope, and potential risks of these statements. This internal report was then reviewed by independent legal experts to ensure an impartial and rigorous assessment.

Ms. Knafo’s remarks—where she controversially and baselessly quantifies what "Algeria allegedly costs France"—constitute not only serious misinformation but also fall within a stigmatizing rhetoric that could provoke significant intercommunal tensions.

By explicitly targeting French citizens of Algerian descent, legally residing Algerians in France, and even the Algerian state itself as alleged economic burdens, Ms. Knafo contributes to fueling discourse rooted in hatred, exclusion, and division within French society.

These statements, delivered with insistence and political staging, bear the characteristics of an implicit call to hatred, or even confrontation between peoples. Such rhetoric has no place in a modern democracy founded on the rule of law, human dignity, and social peace.

They are especially dangerous given the historical complexity of postcolonial relations between France and Algeria and the current deep integration of Algerian-origin communities into French society.

OMSAC firmly condemns this irresponsible and inflammatory address. We recall that freedom of expression, though essential, can never justify the spread of discriminatory, false, or socially divisive statements that jeopardize national cohesion and bilateral relations between sovereign states.

For these reasons, we are officially announcing the filing of a legal complaint against Ms. Sarah Knafo for incitement to racial hatred, stigmatization of a population, defamation of a sovereign state, and endangering public peace. This complaint will be filed with the competent Public Prosecutor and officially notified to the relevant French, European, and UN institutions.

We also call on public authorities to exercise increased vigilance in the face of the rise in xenophobic discourse in the political, media, and digital spheres. France cannot afford to let such statements go unanswered.

OMSAC remains, as always, committed to defending the principles of integrity, justice, mutual respect, and peace among nations.

Yours sincerely,

Mourad MAZAR

President of OMSAC

You may download the full version of the open letter.

Open Letter from OMSAC Regarding the Public Statements of Ms. Sarah Knafo.pdf

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