Watan-The French football star and former Real Madrid striker, currently associated with the Saudi national team, Karim Benzema, has taken legal action against the French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin. Darmanin accused Benzema of having “bad reputation” connections with the Muslim Brotherhood.
Benzema’s lawyer, Hugues Vigier, rejected the accusations against the renowned footballer, stating that they had tarnished the “honor and reputation” of the football player, according to Middle East Eye.
Vigier emphasized that Benzema has “no connection” whatsoever with the Muslim Brotherhood or any of its members.
Benzema’s solidarity with Gaza prompted the minister’s accusations. This came after Benzema, the winner of the 2022 Ballon d’Or, posted a message of support for the Palestinians in Gaza on the platform formerly known as Twitter (now called “X”), amidst the Israeli war on the region. The post read, “All our prayers for the residents of Gaza who are once again victims of this oppressive bombing that spares neither women nor children.”
Benzema shared the message a week after the start of the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, which resulted in the death of at least 24,000 Palestinians, including 10,500 children.
Before filing the case, Vigier clarified that Benzema was expressing his “natural empathy” towards the war crimes occurring in Gaza.
The French minister criticized Benzema for not showing support for the Israelis killed in Hamas attacks on October 7. Benzema’s lawyer filed a 92-page complaint against the French minister before the Court of Justice, the only court in France where lawsuits can be filed against government officials still in office.
Vigier also accused the French minister of “political exploitation” and “sowing division” in France. He stated, “We are witnessing an unbearable exploitation of Karim Benzema and the symbolic figure we want to make of him.”
Benzema, a 36-year-old French-Algerian football player, claimed in the complaint that he is being used in “political games.” This is not the first time Darmanin has clashed with Benzema; he previously criticized the star, one of the top scorers in the history of the French national team, for not singing the national anthem during matches and described it as “preaching on social media.”
Left-wing critics accused Darmanin of trying to attract right-wing voters in the period leading up to the European elections in June 2024. This was amid the rise of the far-right National Rally party in opinion polls, achieved through attacks on figures like Benzema.