French Anti-Drug Activist Defies Threats in Marseille Election Bid
Amine Kessaci, a 22-year-old anti-drug activist, is campaigning for municipal elections in Marseille despite facing death threats and the tragic loss of two brothers to drug gang violence. The young law student, whose family hails from Algeria, is running on a platform to combat the narcotics trade that plagues France's second-largest city.
Personal Tragedy Fuels Political Mission
Kessaci's activism stems from profound personal loss. At age 17, he buried his older brother Brahim, whose body was discovered in a burned-out car in 2020. Less than three months ago, he mourned his younger brother Mehdi, killed in a shooting authorities believe was a targeted hit by drug gangs to intimidate Kessaci.
"In the mourning I'm going through, the message I want to convey is that I will not be silent," Kessaci told The Associated Press. The activist founded the non-profit group Conscience at just 17 to support families affected by drug violence, which he says too often condemns young people in housing projects "to failure, prison or the grave."
Campaigning Under Protection in Crime-Ridden Neighborhoods
Kessaci grew up in Frais Vallon, a sprawling housing project built in the 1960s that now houses approximately 6,000 residents, many living in poverty. The neighborhood's 14 concrete apartment towers are controlled by drug gangs and rank among France's most crime-ridden areas.
Even before his youngest brother's death, Kessaci required police protection. He attended Mehdi's November funeral wearing a bulletproof vest and was recently forced to leave a campaign event. On Tuesday, anti-organized crime prosecutors announced an investigation into a plot targeting the activist.
"In France in 2026, in a state governed by the rule of law, you cannot prevent people from coming and going," Kessaci declared. "I will be in the field because my commitment was born in the field."
Confronting France's Growing Drug Crisis
France faces escalating drug-related violence, with 110 homicides nationwide in 2024 according to Interior Ministry statistics, plus 341 people wounded in drug-related crimes. Cocaine trafficking has reached an all-time high, and authorities are particularly concerned about the recruitment of minors into drug gangs.
In 2024, a quarter of those imprisoned for murder or attempted murder were teenagers, including 16 minors. The previous year, 19% of drug trafficking suspects were minors, some as young as 12 or 13. Marseille witnessed particularly brutal cases, including a 14-year-old hired by gangsters who killed a taxi driver and another teenager stabbed 50 times before being burned alive.
"Drug trafficking leaves a trail of grief and death," said Kessaci, who is running on the list of Marseille's outgoing left-wing mayor, Benoît Payan, in the March 15 and March 22 municipal elections.
Grass-Roots Approach to Combat 'Narcocracy'
Unlike far-right candidates, Kessaci champions a community-focused strategy to undermine what he calls "narcocracy"—the power drug traffickers wield to intimidate neighborhoods and recruit young people with promises of easy money.
"The 'narcocracy' is this power they have to influence our lives: to block entrances to housing projects, to control who can come and go, to instill a sense of terror," Kessaci explained. "This is where drug traffickers show a certain intelligence."
His comprehensive plan includes:
- Doubling Marseille's police force to 1,600 officers with branches in every district
- Introducing locally based police forces to work directly with communities
- Improving schools, public transportation, and essential services
- Creating job training and employment opportunities for young people
- Revitalizing local businesses in impoverished areas
Transforming Housing Projects Through Practical Solutions
Kessaci aims to enhance living conditions in housing projects through green spaces and renovations. Even simple changes like replacing mobile trash dumpsters with fixed bins could make a significant difference.
"This will allow us to restore recycling in neighborhoods and, more importantly, to remove equipment from drug dealers, since they use the bins to create blockades," Kessaci noted.
While French authorities have made some progress—homicides in Marseille fell from 49 in 2023 to 24 in 2024, and drug-dealing spots were halved from 160 to around 80—Kessaci remains determined to continue his fight.
"In this election, in this campaign, in this political struggle, my only enemy is drug trafficking," the activist declared, demonstrating remarkable resilience in the face of personal tragedy and ongoing threats to his safety.
