A Roubaix association in the sights of the authorities.
Under the guise of tutoring, the association AIR (Ambition and initiatives for success) based in Roubaix (North) has been accused since March 2021 of having had religious activities while it had subsidies.
Accusations still denied en bloc by its leaders.
But the issue of Forbidden Zone devoted to separatism and broadcast on Sunday evening on M6, brought new disturbing elements for AIR.
Filming with a hidden camera, journalists were able to collect remarks inside the association which differ from its official discourse.
"We are monitored by the state," pointed out a member-teacher.
“We are waiting for it to calm down”
A mother replied: “Before, there were two sessions a week, one for Islamic education and another for the Koran.
My daughter, she was 3 years old, she knew all the suras!
".
Then, a second adds: “They did the Koran, religion, prayers, all that.
The director told me:
we are waiting for things to calm down because we are afraid that the association will be closed to us
”.
After the broadcast of the report, the North prefecture reacted on Sunday evening on Twitter: "Checks carried out by the State services revealed that the AIR association was providing Arabic lessons of a cultural nature", confirms- she.
And to add that state subsidies to this association were suspended on March 1, 2021. The prefecture also indicated that it had "requested reimbursement of the subsidies paid" and made a "report to the Lille prosecutor's office".
More than 25,000 euros in subsidies had to be reimbursed, specifies La Voix du Nord.
As soon as the results of the checks were known, the @prefet59 suspended state subsidies to this association on March 1, 2021, requested reimbursement of the subsidies paid and reported to the Lille prosecutor's office.
– Prefecture of the Hauts-de-France and North region (@prefet59) January 23, 2022
The broadcast of the report comes as three leaders of the association – the president, the director and the treasurer – are due to appear on February 1 before the Lille criminal court for “breach of trust”.
The leaders of the association are suspected of having used public funds for purposes other than those intended, recalls the daily from the North.
The mayor of Roubaix, Guillaume Delbar will also be tried at the same hearing for negligent embezzlement.
Justice criticizes him for his very late reaction in this affair, and his lack of attention in the control of public funds.
Asked about the suspicions of proselytism which had targeted the association for months, the elected official had explained “let the investigation be done”.