The former Real Madrid star now plays in Saudi Arabia. Image: GETTY IMAGE
French Interior Minister is sued for defamation.
According to local media, French football player Karim Benzema has filed a defamation case against France’s interior minister for allegedly having ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.
In October, Gérald Darmanin stated that Mr. Benzema “has a notorious link” to the Islamist Sunni Muslim group.
The attorney for Mr. Benzema said that the remark “undermines” his honour and reputation.
Several nations forbid the Muslim Brotherhood, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Russia.
The athlete tweeted his solidarity for the Gazan people, calling them “victims again of unjust bombardments which spare neither women nor children,” which prompted Mr. Darmanin to make his October statement.
Mr. Darmanin noted that the former French striker was “well-known for his links with the Muslim Brotherhood” and criticised him for not showing the same compassion for the estimated 1,300 Israeli victims that Hamas massacred on October 7.
The lawmaker stated on the conservative TV network CNews, “We are fighting the hydra that is the Muslim Brotherhood because it creates an atmosphere of jihadism.”
The 36-year-old Muslim player Karim Benzema of Saudi Arabia promptly refuted the allegations and threatened to sue the minister for defamation.
He states that he “has never had the slightest link with the Muslim Brotherhood organisation, nor to (his) knowledge with anyone who claims to be a member of it” in his 92-page lawsuit, which was extensively covered by French media on Tuesday.
The former Real Madrid player stated:
” Attorney Hugues Vigier charged the interior minister of “sowing division in France” and claimed that the player is the victim of “political exploitation” in an interview with the French publication RTL.
Mr. Darmanin has not yet responded to the grievance. He has previously attacked Karim Benzema for other reasons, such as his “proselytising on social networks” and his reluctance to perform the French national anthem.