Veteran striker Karim Benzema filed a complaint on Tuesday against French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin on charges of defamation, after the latter said that the former Spanish Real Madrid star and current Saudi Al-Ittihad player had a relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood.
Darmanin criticized Benzema after the former French international posted, on the X website (formerly Twitter) in mid-October, a message supportive of the residents of Gaza.
The winner of the Ballon d’Or for the best player in 2022 said, “All our prayers are for the people of Gaza who are once again falling victim to this unjust bombing that did not spare women or children.”
Benzema considered the statements of the French Interior Minister to undermine his reputation and honor (social networking sites)
“Benzema has a relationship with the Brotherhood”
The Minister of the Interior believed that this position could be explained by Benzema’s ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. “Karim Benzema has a relationship, as we all know, a notorious one, with the Muslim Brotherhood,” Darmanin said in a statement to C News, causing a storm on social media.
In the complaint filed by lawyer Hugh Vigier on behalf of Benzema, the Al-Ittihad striker believed that these statements “undermine” his honor and reputation.
Benzema stresses that “I did not have the slightest connection to the Muslim Brotherhood, nor was he aware of anyone claiming to be a member of it,” adding, “I realize the extent to which I am being used, because of my reputation, in political games, which is the biggest scandal given that the dramatic events “What happened since October 7 deserves something completely different than this kind of statement.”
In October, Darmanin said he had “nothing against” Benzema but that what was “astonishing” was that the footballer did not post any comment in support of the Israelis killed in a Hamas attack, or the French teacher who was stabbed to death by someone. His Muslim students.
Darmanin touched on Benzema’s refusal to perform the French national anthem while playing with the French national team and his “call (to Islam) on social media.”
The complaint against the Minister of the Interior was submitted to the Court of Justice, which is the only French court authorized to try members of the government for crimes committed in the exercise of their duties.
2024-01-16 22:31:52
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