French police tried to recruit immigrant as anti-gay marriage protest informer, report

French Interior Minister Manuel Valls has ordered an inquiry into charges that police threatened to hold up an 18-year-old Russian student's French citizenship unless she informed on anti-gay marriage demonstrators.

The atni-gay marriage Manif Pour Tous demonstrations continue in February this year Reuters/Benoit Tessier

The French police's internal control brigade is to report within a month on accusations in Le Figaro newspaper that police in Versailles tried to blackmail Anna, a student who was born in Saint Petersburg and came to France with her parents in 2004.

While her parents were given French nationality without any problems, her application has encountered unexpected difficulties, she told the right-wing paper.

Anna having declared that she had attended political rallies and demonstrations in her application, a police commander allegedly found out that she had right-wing views and had attended last year's massive anti-gay marriage protests.

According to Anna, he threatened to oppose her application unless she attended further protests and gave the police information on other people taking part.

Anna says that she did not go and told her parents and teachers of the pressure police put on her.

While the interior ministry told Le Figaro that there is "no political police in France", local officials said that seeking information on participants in demonstrations is a part of normal police practice.

On Tuesday officials in Versailles told Le Figaro that Anna's application would be approved within a matter of weeks.