Football after terror allegations
Benzema is suing France’s interior minister for defamation
As of: 2:59 p.m. | Reading time: 2 minutes
Karim Benzema was said to have a connection to a terrorist organization
Quelle: Getty Images/Yasser Bakhsh
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Karim Benzema and France’s interior minister may meet in court. The soccer star defends himself against statements made by politician Gérald Darmanin. This was preceded by sentences from the national player about the Middle East conflict.
According to media reports, the 97-time national player Karim Benzema is said to have filed a defamation lawsuit against the French Interior Minister. The newspaper “Le Parisien” confirmed a corresponding report from Info RTL on Wednesday. Last October, politician Gérald Darmanin accused Benzema of being close to the Muslim Brotherhood without providing any concrete evidence.
“Mr Karim Benzema has notorious ties to the Muslim Brotherhood,” Darmanin had claimed in an interview with CNews. As Darmanin explained at the time, Benzema had been under observation for weeks. His actions will be followed with particular interest. “We are attacking a hydra, namely the Muslim Brotherhood, because it causes jihadism,” the minister continued.
Benzema’s lawyer, Hugues Vigier, is said to have filed a 92-page complaint on Tuesday with the Cour de justice de la République, which has the power to prosecute and convict members of the government. Benzema repeats over ten pages that he has no connection to the Muslim Brotherhood and that this accusation damages his reputation and honor, Info RTL said. Benzema, who has been playing in Saudi Arabia since last summer, is a victim of “political instrumentalization,” explained Vigier.
Benzema’s closeness to the Muslim Brotherhood
Darmanin’s statement in October was preceded by a pro-Palestinian post by Benzema on social networks about the Middle East conflict. “We pray for the people of Gaza, who have once again fallen victim to these unjust bombings that do not spare women or children,” Benzema wrote. Afterwards, critics accused him of having a one-sided view.
Gerald Darmanin, Interior Minister of France, linked Benzema to the Muslim Brotherhood with his statements
Quelle: dpa/Christophe Ena
When asked by “Parisien” at the time, the Interior Ministry made the following statement: “For several years now, we have noticed a slow slide in Karim Benzema’s statements towards a hard, rigorous Islam, which is typical of the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood, which consists in: “to spread Islamic norms in various areas of society, especially in sports”.