Maël de Calan acquitted of harassment charges, faces defamation trial

Maël de Calan, president of the Finistère departmental council, has been acquitted of charges involving the alleged institutional harassment of RSA welfare recipients. The case, brought by the CGT union and several beneficiaries, accused de Calan and a local official of using intrusive and humiliating controls to reduce the number of recipients. Since de Calan took office in 2021, the number of recipients in the department has decreased by approximately 25%.

De Calan faces a separate defamation trial scheduled for September 10 in Brest. This legal action follows his previous characterization of LFI deputy Pierre-Yves Cadalen as ‘factious and antisemitic’. Ahead of the hearing, de Calan has intensified his criticism of La France insoumise, describing the party as ‘violent’ and claiming it ‘fuels civil war’. He also criticized political leaders Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Marine Le Pen, accusing them of exacerbating community tensions and failing to properly address Islamism without targeting Muslims.