Karim Benzema has been singled out once more by the French Interior Minister, who previously claimed that he was linked to a terrorist organization.
Gerald Darmanin made the remarks after criticizing the ‘unjust bombardment’ in Gaza during the continuing conflict between Israel and Palestine, which killed innocent women and children.
Hugues Vigier, Benzema’s lawyer, announced on Thursday that his client was submitting a complaint against the minister after he refuted the allegations. Darmanin, however, has continued to investigate the former Real Madrid star’s links.
He informed the French news source RMC that he would not retract his charges unless the 35-year-old spoke out about the death of Dominique Bernard, a professor assassinated by a Chechen terrorist in Arras earlier this month.
Darmanin cited the fact that Benzema had remained silent regarding killed children and those’massacred’ by so-called ‘Islamic terrorists’ as one of his justifications for saying Benzema had links to a terrorist organization.
‘Wait, what did I say? Mr. Benzema is a fantastic footballer who is idolized by millions of people,’ he said. ‘I observed he has yet to tweet on the murder of that professor in Arras. He has also not tweeted about the beheaded kids, raped women, or the 1,300 Israelis killed by Islamic terrorists.
‘Terrorism is very subtle. It entails promoting Islam through all of society’s methods, including sports, music, and Internet influence. That is what brotherhood entails. I’d love to see Mr Benzema tweet about the Arras professor’s murder. He is known for his extremely rigorist Islam, and he has connections, sadly, to persons who have taken pleasure in the murder of Samuel Paty, for example.’
Paty, a schoolteacher, was stabbed to death and beheaded three years ago in a Parisian suburb after allegedly presenting cartoons of the Prophet to his class during a free speech lesson.
‘We cannot be selective in our outrage,’ said the French senator. ‘That is what Brotherhood consists of, regrettably employing selective messages in a sneaky way, being able to convey that there is something distinct from radicalism in a place of worship through sport, music, and culture.’
‘Mr Benzema is French,’ he continued. But I have the right to argue that when you tweet about Palestinian civilians, it is really strange that you do not post about the 1,300 Israelis killed and the murder of the professor. You will notice that this selection causes concerns.
‘I can assure you that the Muslim Brotherhood is making excellent use of the chance to send a strongly anti-French message. Every day, we see examples of this. Some are apprehended because they do it so swiftly that it becomes a caricature, such as the Nice player (Youcef Atal). Isn’t it strange that a professional footballer based in France can say such things?’
The French Interior Minister then asked Benzema to debate Professor Bernard’s death in order to “show good faith,” adding that doing so would “improve” national unity.
‘If Mr. Benzema wishes to demonstrate his good faith by tweeting about the professor’s death, I will withdraw my statements. I’ve noticed that he’s chosen to utilize the same terminology as the Muslim Brotherhood with tremendous caution.’
‘Wouldn’t that be beneficial to the Republic? That would be fantastic of you. It would strengthen national cohesiveness.’
The Muslim Brotherhood was formally designated a terrorist organization in 2021, when Austria banned the organization under a new anti-terrorism law passed by its Parliament in July of that year.
