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Undressed in Playboy, scrutinized in a grant scandal and now also in a public war of words with a government colleague.
Windy weather is just the first name for the storm surrounding French Minister Marlène Schiappa.
After having, among other things, been Minister for Gender Equality and Citizenship, 40-year-old Schiappa has been responsible for social economy and solidarity in Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne’s government since last summer.
So far anyway.
Her decision to fold out in the French edition of the men’s magazine Playboy has not been immediately met with cheers by her colleagues.
– Not appropriate, especially not in this situation, Prime Minister Borne is said to have explained on the phone to Schiappa at the beginning of April, according to the TV channel BFMTV.
A purse?
Equality Minister Isabelle Rome has spoken to the newspaper Le Figaro.
– I’m not a moralist, but I ask myself: why do you choose Playboy to emphasize women’s rights when that magazine is a collection of all sexist prejudices? Rome said.
Schiappa responded to that with a text message that has now been leaked via the satirical newspaper Le Canard Enchainé and further reinforces the black headlines.
“You’re just a used handbag. Take courage and call me directly instead of talking behind my back,” Schiappa is said to have greeted Rome, among other things.
Contribution fraud?
Schiappa – who, under the pseudonym Marie Minelli, has published about ten books with sex tips and erotic short stories – is also involved in a tangle surrounding the improper use of state grants.
After the highly publicized terrorist murder of the teacher Samuel Paty in 2020, Schiappa as minister was responsible for creating a fund with contributions to counter hate messages online.
However, the France 2 television channel and the magazine Marianne have reviewed the fund and discovered that recipients, in violation of the rules, used money to mainly pay managers or act against political opponents – and also connected the recipients to people close to Schiappa.
Schiappa, however, swears free of all irregularities.
“It is completely wrong to claim that it is about friends of the minister. These insinuations are completely baseless,” a statement from her ministry on April 7 explained.
Facts
Marlene Schiappa
Marlène Schiappa (born 1982) is a writer and politician, was brought into the government when Emmanuel Macron was elected president in May 2017 and has, among other things, been responsible for equality, the fight against discrimination, citizenship issues and the social economy.
Parents Jean-Marc (well-known historian) and Catherine (vice-principal) are both active left-wing activists and critical of her political support for Macron.
Schiappa has written 36 books, including several under the pseudonym Marie Minelli.
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