/ France
FRENCH LEGISLATIVE ELECTIONS
Issued on: 23/06/2022 – 16:33
Rachel Keke, MP for leftist France Unbowed party and a member of the left-wing NUPES coalition, at the National Assembly in Paris on June 21, 2022. © Julien de Rosa, AFP
Newly elected MP Rachel Keke of the hard-left France Unbowed party has admitted sharing posts supporting far-right leader Marine Le Pen during the 2017 elections. Keke entered politics after making a name for herself by winning an almost two-year-long battle for better conditions at the Paris hotel where she worked.
A former cleaner recently elected to France’s parliament on a left-wing alliance ticket has admitted to sharing posts years ago in support of far-right leader Marine Le Pen, but insisted she had changed her views.
Hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) MP Rachel Keke beat French President Emmanuel Macron’s former sports minister Roxana Maracineanu in Sunday’s legislative elections that saw Macron lose his majority.
Keke made a name for herself after winning a gruelling 22-month-long battle for better working conditions in the Paris hotel where she cleaned, sparking LFI’s proposal that she run for MP as part of the broad NUPES left-wing alliance.
Days after being elected, messages surfaced that appear to show her support for Le Pen and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whose Russia- and Iran-backed regime is accused of crimes against humanity.
Keke, 48, allegedly shared posts backing Le Pen during the 2017 election and content from the far-right website Fdesouche, according to Fdesouche itself, which compiled a series of posts.
On Facebook Keke did not deny the allegations but insisted she had changed since a labour struggle against global hotel giant Accor, which owns the Ibis hotel where she worked.
“A few years ago, I shared on Facebook posts that absolutely do not reflect who I am and what I stand for today in my political struggle,” Keke said late on Wednesday.
“I learnt a lot from my union battle and the fight at Ibis Batignolles… As MP for LFI and NUPES, I fully share the struggles and values of these organisations,” Keke added.
