Overview
- Martine Vassal said that if elected mayor no municipal money would go to SOS Méditerranée or similar groups, arguing that public funds should not finance illegal immigration and that she will not encourage human trafficking.
- SOS Méditerranée’s director Sophie Beau condemned the remarks as a worrying shift and said the NGO reserves the right to file a complaint.
- Marseille’s first deputy mayor Michèle Rubirola criticized the stance, accusing Vassal of scapegoating and chasing the far right.
- The NGO has received annual municipal subsidies since 2021, with a €130,000 grant approved in 2025 after a 2024 council deliberation was annulled on procedural grounds following challenges by local politicians.
- Vassal, who is backed by Renaissance, Les Républicains, Horizons and UDI, is the subject of a preliminary investigation by the Marseille prosecutor’s office for alleged embezzlement, influence peddling and passive corruption.