Sarah Knafo

The town of Le Blanc-Mesnil awarded €20,000 to Alexandre & Aristote, an association founded two months earlier by Sarah Knafo, with no employees and no apparent local connection to the municipality.

State of the evidence

Documented

In her campaign for public broadcasting privatisation, Knafo claimed that each French person paid an average of €83 annually for a 'compulsory subscription' to France Télévisions.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

As a Paris candidate, Knafo proposed, among other measures, halving property tax, sharply reducing municipal staffing, selling 4,000 social housing units annually, halting construction of new social housing, reopening some riverbank roads to cars and cutting grants to associations assisting undocumented migrants.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Le Monde identified several gaps between claimed savings or costs and detailed calculations: an elevated walkway estimated at €60 million rather than €165–180 million according to experts, claimed annual savings of €125 million not matching the detailed measures, and a spreadsheet error acknowledged in one budget item.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

Despite qualifying, Knafo withdrew her list before the second round, having proposed an alliance to Rachida Dati. She presented the withdrawal as a decision 'for Paris' and to defeat the left, without formally instructing supporters how to vote.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Knafo published 'Le Casse du siècle', a policy book advocating a substantial reduction in the state, abolition of the CSG social contribution, greater reliance on funded pensions and major cuts in public spending. Le Monde argued that the book contained several false statements or selective uses of data, notably concerning development aid.

State of the evidence

Reported by the press

Attribution

Directly implicated

Knafo's book was launched with an initial print run of 100,000 copies by Fayard and extensive promotion by media linked to Vincent Bolloré. Le Monde reported that the billionaire regarded her as a new protégée and that his group had already been heavily involved in her Paris campaign.

State of the evidence

Reported by the press

Attribution

Directly implicated

In addition to the grant, the Le Blanc-Mesnil media library ordered €18,000 worth of books in connection with the association, including several works by Éric Zemmour. Thierry Meignen stated that Sarah Knafo had repaid the €18,000 to the municipality in December 2025.

State of the evidence

Documented

Knafo increased her English-language content, references to the US DOGE initiative and contacts with pro-Musk and libertarian circles, while cultivating links with Javier Milei and US conservative networks.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

Knafo argued in substance that the more France assisted Comoros, the more Comorian immigration to Mayotte increased.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

Placed in a winnable position on Marion Maréchal's list, Sarah Knafo was elected to the European Parliament in 2024 and subsequently sat in the Europe of Sovereign Nations group.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Knafo repeatedly claimed that France provided approximately €800 million in development aid to Algeria annually.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

The Algerian state filed a complaint in Paris against Sarah Knafo for disseminating false information following her claim concerning €800 million in annual aid.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

The Paris prosecutor's office closed the complaint without further action, finding that the offence of disseminating false information had not been established.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Knafo claimed that France was 'three times more indebted than the entire African continent' to justify reducing development aid.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

Knafo was described as one of the principal architects of Éric Zemmour's candidacy, working on networks, recruitment, strategy, policies and campaign organisation.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

While Knafo was a magistrate at the Court of Auditors and increasingly involved in Éric Zemmour's political activities, the institution expressed concerns about the overlap of roles and its reputation for impartiality.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Knafo took leave of absence for personal reasons and stopped working for or receiving remuneration from the Court of Auditors during her political involvement.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Knafo helped organise the 2019 'Convention de la droite', an event aimed at bringing together conservative and identitarian movements which considerably raised Éric Zemmour's political profile.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Before entering elected politics, Sarah Knafo co-hosted 'Battle de France', a web programme describing itself as politically incorrect and produced in partnership with Causeur magazine.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated