freedom of conscience

FRANCE
The antisect movements and money: Why not a parliamentary inquiry commission?
By Willy Fautré, Human Rights Without Frontiers
HRWF (08.12.2009) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - At a colloquium organized by MIVILUDES (1) in Lyon on 27 November 2009, Mrs Catherine Picard, UNADFI (2) president, deplored the decrease in public funding of her antisect movement.

The income of UNADFI

Between 1996 and 2006, 95.75% of the income of UNADFI came from public funding. In 2006, it reached 97.14% (398,019 EUR) while less than 3% of its financial resources were covered by membership fees and donations (11,078 EUR).

In 2006, the ministries contributing to the survival of UNADFI were the Ministry for Youth and Sport (33,000 EUR), the Ministry of Social Affairs (125,000 EUR), the Defense Ministry (7000 EUR), the Ministry of National Education (55,800 EUR), the Ministry of Justice (110,000 EUR) and Prime Minister/ Human Rights (110,000 EUR). Moreover, FONJEP (3) contributed with 21,783 EUR and CNASEA (4) 30,436 EUR. (5)

Suspicions of conflict of interests

UNADFI is hardly supported financially by private donors (less than 3% of its budget) although it enjoys the status of association of public utility, a privilege granted to organizations which must at least get 50% of their budget from their members. Another antisect movement getting public funding is the CCMM. The collaboration between MIVILUDES and these two major antisect organizations is not surprising when we know that the UNADFI president and the CCMM president are both members of the Orientation Council of MIVILUDES (http://www.miviludes.gouv.fr/Le-Conseil-d-orientation-CO). In short, the Orientation Council can advise various ministries to finance… UNADFI and CCMM, including the salaries of their presidents. Isn’t there a conflict of interests?

Mr Brard, antisect parliamentarian, and money

In its issue nr 657 (November 2009), Marianne, a well-known weekly magazine in France, revealed the strange financial practices of Jean-Pierre Brard, former mayor of Montreuil (Paris) and notorious antisect activist. From the article entitled “La vérité sur le train de vie des élus” (The truth about the life style of the elected), it appears that he was using the budget of his municipality to cover the expenses of his trials. He was indeed quoted as saying « I mainly use my political mandate indemnity for paying my court expenses as Dominique Voynet has refused the municipality to cover the costs of my defense in cases brought to court by the sects.”

In the last few years, Jean-Pierre Brard, a member of the National Assemblyassociated with the French Communist Party, was accused several times and charged once for defamation against various religious and belief groups.

On 6 September 2001, the Court of Appeal of Paris stated that Mr. Brard had made a defamatory statement towards Steiner schools at the TV News of France 2 on 17 June 1999 with regard to the 1999 parliamentary report on sects and money which he was chairing but the court held that he had done it in good faith and was therefore not guilty of public defamation.******

On 18 December 2002 and 10 June 2009, he was sentenced on the grounds of defamation towards Jehovah’s Witnesses. In 2007, Mr. Brard, who had also been the vice-president of the study group for cults at the National Assembly, was once more sued by the Jehovah’s Witnesses for calling them “absolute delinquents.” Mr. Brard has even attempted to invoke parliamentary immunity to avoid being held to judicial standards of evidence and proof in reference to denigrating attacks on minority religious movements.

On 1 July 2004, Mr. Brard was condemned for libeling the Mandarom movement. On 1 July 2005, the administrative court of Cergy-Pontoise sentenced him to the payment of 750 EUR for not allowing the company Jasmeen to hold a fashion parade for Muslim women.

On 18 December 2008, he was sentenced for forbidding an elected woman to take the floor during a municipal council on laicité because she was wearing a cross. (6)

Last but not least, Jean-Pierre Brard is a member of the Orientation Council of MIVILUDES.

Antisect movements and money: a parliamentary inquiry commission
Considering the separation of state and religions enshrined in the principle of laicité;

Considering the principle of non-interference of the state in the freedom of conscience of individuals and in the life of religious groups;

Considering the repeated criticisms of France’s policy towards a number of religious and belief communities at the UN and the OSCE in the last ten years;

Considering the suspicions of conflict of interests raised against the presidents of two antisect movements (UNADFI and CCMM) who are also members of the Orientation Council of MIVILUDES;

Considering the controversial financing of antisect movements by various ministries of the French state, including the Prime Minister’s Office;

Considering the repeated sentencing of prominent members of MIVILUDES and antisect movements on the grounds of hate speech and discrimination against several religious groups and the repeated criticisms raised at the OSCE and at the UN on this issue;

Considering the doubtful nature of financial practices of Jean-Pierre Brard;

Human Rights Without Frontiers urges the National Assembly of France to create a parliamentary inquiry commission in order to determine if the use of public funds to antisect movements is compatible with the principle of laicité and neutrality of the state in religious matters.

(1) MIVILUDES: Mission de vigilance et de lutte contre les dérives sectaires
(2) UNADFI : Union nationale des associations de défense de la famille et de l’individu
(3) FONJEP : Fonds de coopération de la jeunesse et l’éducation populaire
(4) CNASEA :Centre national pour l’aménagement des structures des exploitations agricoles
(5) Source : Le cri du contribuable : http://www.lecri.fr/2009/06/30/lunadfi-nest-pas-sectaire-avec-largent-public/1575
(6) See http://www.sapientia-portail.net/Jean-Pierre-Brard-a-nouveau-condamne_a1127.html