PARIS (AP) 鈥 A French far-right figure behind a divisive, and hugely successful, crowdfunding campaign for the family of a police officer jailed in the killing of a 17-year-old that triggered riots around France announced on Tuesday that he鈥檚 closing the account which topped more than 1.5 million euros ($1.63 million).
Criticism, and plans for lawsuits, have mounted around Jean Messiha鈥檚 Gofundme effort with claims that his real motive was to spread a message of hate and pit the far-right against residents of poor suburbs with a high rate of people of immigrant origin.
Even Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne has said the collection for the jailed officer鈥檚 family did not contribute to calming the situation, just like Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti who warned on France-Inter radio against a possible 鈥渋nstrumentalization.鈥
The unrest was touched off by the shooting last Tuesday of the young man identified as Nahel, who was stopped while driving a Mercedes in suburban Paris. Violence was driven by a mainly teenage backlash in the suburbs and urban housing projects against a French state that many young people with immigrant roots say routinely discriminates against them. Violence appeared to continue to ebb for a third night Tuesday.
However, reports emerged of the death early Sunday of a 27-year-old man in Marseille. The local prosecutor鈥檚 office opened an investigation Tuesday for "mortal blows with use or threat of a weapon,鈥 the newspaper La Marseillaise reported.
The probable cause of death was a 鈥渧iolent shock to the thorax caused by a projectile of the 鈥榝lashball鈥 type,鈥 commonly used by French police for riot control.
It was not immediately clear whether the victim, who was not identified, was in the area of riots and pillaging the night of his death, the paper quoted the prosecutor鈥檚 office as saying.
Messiha, meanwhile, hailed in a tweet what he called an 鈥渉istoric symbol of national generosity鈥 while announcing the closing of the crowdfunding campaign at midnight Tuesday for the family of the jailed officer, identified only as Florian M.
He said that more than 100,000 donors contributed to the effort he initiated on Friday that reached more than 1.5 million euros. He equated the response to a 鈥渢sunami鈥 in support of law enforcement officers 鈥渨ho in a certain way fight daily so that France remains France.鈥
The crowdfunding had an ugly edge with Messiha bragging at one point that his effort was bringing in more funds than a crowdfunding account set up for the family of Nahel. The family filed a complaint, alleging the crowdfunding was based on deception to 鈥渃riminalize鈥 the victim and win support for the police officer who fired at him, according to France-Info, which saw the complaint. It wasn鈥檛 immediately clear whether an investigation would be opened.
Socialist lawmaker Arthur Delaporte from Calvados had filed a complaint earlier Tuesday against the crowdfunding contesting its legal grounds - shortly before Messiha closed it.
Egyptian-born Messiha is a former official of the 好色tv Rally party of far-right leader Marine Le Pen which he left for a fledgling far-right party then dropped out of that to return to his think tank. He remains a virulent critic of migration from Africa.
