Alima Boumediene-Thiery
French politician (born 1956)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alima Boumediene-Thiery (born 24 July 1956) is a former Member of the European Parliament (1999–2004) and former member of the Senate of France (2004–2011),[1] representing the city of Paris. She was previously a member of the French Green party.
Alima Boumediene-Thiery | |
|---|---|
| Member of the French Senate for Paris | |
| In office 26 September 2004 – 30 July 2011 | |
| Member of the European Parliament | |
| In office 20 July 1999 – 19 July 2004 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 July 1956 |
| Party | The Greens Socialist Party Ensemble! |
Biography
Childhood
Boumediene-Thiery was born into a North African family in Argenteuil, an outer banlieue of Paris, in 1956.[2]
Activism
Prior to entering politics, she was an activist and was an organizer of the 1983 March for Equality and against Racism.[3] She founded Expression Maghrébine au Féminin (EMAF) in 1985 to promote the cultural contributions by women from the Maghreb.[4] She hosted a program, Féminin Pluriel, in the 1990s on a community radio station. She also unsuccessfully attempted to get a radio frequency for her association in 1992.
Local office
In 1995, she was elected to munincipal office in Argenteuil as an independent running on a left-wing coalition's list. She joined The Greens in 1998.[5]
European Parliament
In 1999, Boumediene-Thiery was elected a member of the European Parliament with her mandate ending in March 2004.[3] In the 2004 European Parliament election, she was not reelected despite being second on the Green Party's list in Île-de-France behind Alain Lipietz.[6]
French Senate
In 26 September 2004, she was elected as a member of the French Senate on a left-wing coalition list in Paris.[7]
On June 30, 2010, Alima Boumediene-Thiery took part in a boycott of israeli products at a supermarket in Montigny-lès-Cormeilles. She was subsequently charged with "incitement to discrimination on the grounds of national origin". She received support from numerous quarters, including Algerian parliamentarians,[8] Jewish members of the UJFP,[9] and the AMF (Association of Moroccans in France).[10] Boumediene-Thiery was the only political figure to speak out publicly on the Said Bourarach case.
Furthermore, citing her status as a former Senator (EELV), she applied for admission to the Val-d'Oise bar. Her application was initially rejected; however, she challenged this decision in court and won the appeal.[11]
On May 26, 2011 while sitting in the French Senate, Boumediene-Thiery wrote to the Minister of Education, Luc Chatel, asking him to intervene on behalf of her son, whose application for a boarding place at a public middle school in Paris had been rejected on the basis of “social criteria" and “negative opinion from the social worker.” Alima Boumediene-Thiery complained in her letter that a senator in her situation needed state assistance to make ends meet.[12] At the time, a senator’s net monthly salary was €5,400, with an additional €6,240 in non-taxable allowances, meaning her monthly income was €11,645.94, in addition to taxi expenses paid for by the Senate.[13]
Defeat and later career
In 25 September 2011 she ran for reelection in Val-d'Oise, running while suspended by the Greens running as an independent.[14] She was defeated with 4% of the vote.
In 2014, she joined the new Ensemble! French political party.[15] In 2019, she was selected to lead a left-wing list in the Argenteuil local elections.[2] The list was broke apart before the vote.[16]