France’s Moroccan-born education minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem fights back against slurs

France’s new education minister – young, female and Moroccan-born – has become a lightning rod for all that is nasty in French politics.

Since she took over the job two weeks ago, Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, 36, has been besieged by racist and sexist comments and malicious rumours on social media. Her appointment has been attacked by magazines of the far right, and the less far right, as a “provocation” and a politically-correct piece of social engineering by President François Hollande.

Two new false rumours about Ms Vallaud-Belkacem are being pedalled this week by right-wing websites and on Facebook and Twitter.

A forged letter carrying the minister’s signature calls for primary school pupils to be given lessons in Arabic each week in the name of good community relations. A fake identity card appears to “prove” that Ms Vallaud-Belkacem adopted an Arab identity to further her political career. The card suggests that her real name is “Claudine Dupont”.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/frances-moroccanborn-education-minister-najat-vallaudbelkacem-fights-back-against-slurs-9719402.html