Rachid Nekkaz

Who is Rachid Nekkaz?

Rachid Nekkaz, is a French businessman and political activist.

The son of Algerian immigrants, Nekkaz studied history of philosophy at the Sorbonne before making his fortune with an Internet startup, after which he diversified into real estate. He is married to a French-Canadian.

He first came into the public eye as a potential candidate for the 2007 French presidential election. He caught media attention by purchasing the sponsorship of André Garrec, Mayor of Noron-la-Poterie, who had offered his support for auction, and tearing it up in front of the cameras. However, he failed to secure the 500 endorsements required. In the legislative elections of the same year, he founded his own party, standing in the 7th district of Seine-Saint-Denis and receiving only 156 votes, just over 0.5% of the ballot. He subsequently stood unsuccessfully in the 2008 municipal elections, promising €300 to every voter if elected.

In 2010 he founded the organisation "Touche pas à ma constitution", which pledged to pay the fine of any women convicted of wearing the burqa in public. He announced that he was committing 2 million euro to this campaign. He travelled to Brussels in August 2011 to pay the fines of two women convicted for the same offence.