Explained: The French footballer's legal battle with right-wing politicians
On one side is one of France's most famous footballers and on the other are two French politicians, one of whom is being touted about as a possible future president. Here's what is behind the legal wrangle between Karim Benzema, Gérald Darmanin and Eric Zemmour.
Who's who?
If you're not a keen follower of French news you might not be familiar with these three names.
Karim Benzema
He's a footballer and a pretty good one if that Ballon d'Or award (plus nearly 100 selections for the French national team) is anything to go by. He's recently moved to the Saudi club Al-Ittihad but before that he played for Real Madrid. Born in Lyon, to parents of Algerian descent, his international career has been entirely with Les Bleus.
Controversies - He was convicted of complicity to blackmail one of his fellow French internationals over a sex tape and given a suspended prison sentence and a €75,000 fine. He's also repeatedly been a target for the far-right after he said that he feels both French and Algerian.
Gérald Darmanin
Currently France's Interior Minister, Darmanin is one of the most powerful politicians in France and is also (at least nominally) in charge of the police force. He is on the right of Emmanuel Macron's centrist party and has been upfront about his ambitions to run for president when Macron's term ends in 2027. He's known for his hard line on issues such as immigration and crime.
Controversies - Darmanin has been twice accused of rape, accusations that date back to his days as mayor of Tourcoing in northern France, but was found to have no case to answer. His appointment as Interior Minister came when he was still under investigation and prompted protests from feminist groups. His hardline stances on crime and immigration have won him plenty of enemies on the political left.
Eric Zemmour
Zemmour is a recent addition to the world of politics, having begun his career as a journalist and pundit - he has a show on the right-wing TV channel C News. He ran for president in 2022 on a platform that was to the right of far-right leader Marine Le Pen - policies included ending family reunification visas, demanding a €10,000 deposit with other visa types and banning women from wearing the hijab in all public spaces. He got 7.1 percent of the vote and was eliminated in the first round.
Controversies - he has been repeatedly convicted of racist hate speech and is currently before the courts on a charge of minimising the Holocaust. He was accused of sexual harassment by female interns during his days as a journalist, but was never prosecuted. During the 2022 election campaign he several times walked out of grocery stores without paying in what he said were cases of "forgetfulness". His extreme views make him a controversial figure.
Why are they involved in a legal battle?
The worlds of football and politics collided over comments made by both Darmanin and Zemmour in the wake of the recent attacks by Hamas in Gaza.
Darmanin said on the C News: "We all know that Mr Benzema has notorious links with the Muslim Brotherhood."
Zemmour, in a separate interview, said: "For me, Karim Benzema is an Islamist who wants to apply Sharia law, and Sharia law means jihad. Jihad means killing Dominique Bernard, killing Samuel Paty" - referring to two teachers killed in Islamist terror attacks.
Benzema's comment on the most recent developments in Israel-Palestine had been a tweet in which he said: "All our prayers for the inhabitants of Gaza, victims once again of these unjust bombardments which spare neither women nor children."
Toutes nos prières pour les habitants de Gaza victimes une fois de plus de ces bombardements injustes qui n’épargnent ni femmes ni enfants.
— Karim Benzema (@Benzema) October 15, 2023
Benzema's lawyer has announced he will be making a formal legal complaint - the first step in a police investigation - against both politicians for defamation.
Is Benzema involved in the Muslim Brotherhood?
That's for the courts to decide, but Darmanin has so far provided no evidence to back up his assertion of links between the footballer and the Egypt-based Islamist organisation.
The Muslim Brotherhood is considered a terrorist organisation in France (and the US), but other European countries do not classify it as a terror group.
Benzema’s layer Hugues Vigier said in a statement.: "This is false! Karim Benzema has never had the slightest relationship with this organisation."
Cases of this nature can take months or years to get through the legal system.
What's the background?
Benzema has been a favourite target for the far right for many years, both for his background and for his views.
He was born in Lyon to Algerian parents and has spoken of feeling emotional ties to the country of his parents, as well as the country of his birth. He told journalists that he feels both French and Algerian, but has chosen to play for France and is proud to represent his country.
This led to accusation of being a "paper Frenchman" from several politicians on the right.
In fact, football has been a frequent target for the far right, going back to the 1990s when far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen mocked the multi-racial French national team as an “artificial” squad of foreigners “baptised France.” They ought, he said, to be “called something else”.
In 1998, the famous 'black-blanc-beur' (black, white and Arab) French team won the World Cup.
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Who's who?
If you're not a keen follower of French news you might not be familiar with these three names.
Karim Benzema
He's a footballer and a pretty good one if that Ballon d'Or award (plus nearly 100 selections for the French national team) is anything to go by. He's recently moved to the Saudi club Al-Ittihad but before that he played for Real Madrid. Born in Lyon, to parents of Algerian descent, his international career has been entirely with Les Bleus.
Controversies - He was convicted of complicity to blackmail one of his fellow French internationals over a sex tape and given a suspended prison sentence and a €75,000 fine. He's also repeatedly been a target for the far-right after he said that he feels both French and Algerian.
Gérald Darmanin
Currently France's Interior Minister, Darmanin is one of the most powerful politicians in France and is also (at least nominally) in charge of the police force. He is on the right of Emmanuel Macron's centrist party and has been upfront about his ambitions to run for president when Macron's term ends in 2027. He's known for his hard line on issues such as immigration and crime.
Controversies - Darmanin has been twice accused of rape, accusations that date back to his days as mayor of Tourcoing in northern France, but was found to have no case to answer. His appointment as Interior Minister came when he was still under investigation and prompted protests from feminist groups. His hardline stances on crime and immigration have won him plenty of enemies on the political left.
Eric Zemmour
Zemmour is a recent addition to the world of politics, having begun his career as a journalist and pundit - he has a show on the right-wing TV channel C News. He ran for president in 2022 on a platform that was to the right of far-right leader Marine Le Pen - policies included ending family reunification visas, demanding a €10,000 deposit with other visa types and banning women from wearing the hijab in all public spaces. He got 7.1 percent of the vote and was eliminated in the first round.
Controversies - he has been repeatedly convicted of racist hate speech and is currently before the courts on a charge of minimising the Holocaust. He was accused of sexual harassment by female interns during his days as a journalist, but was never prosecuted. During the 2022 election campaign he several times walked out of grocery stores without paying in what he said were cases of "forgetfulness". His extreme views make him a controversial figure.
Why are they involved in a legal battle?
The worlds of football and politics collided over comments made by both Darmanin and Zemmour in the wake of the recent attacks by Hamas in Gaza.
Darmanin said on the C News: "We all know that Mr Benzema has notorious links with the Muslim Brotherhood."
Zemmour, in a separate interview, said: "For me, Karim Benzema is an Islamist who wants to apply Sharia law, and Sharia law means jihad. Jihad means killing Dominique Bernard, killing Samuel Paty" - referring to two teachers killed in Islamist terror attacks.
Benzema's comment on the most recent developments in Israel-Palestine had been a tweet in which he said: "All our prayers for the inhabitants of Gaza, victims once again of these unjust bombardments which spare neither women nor children."
Toutes nos prières pour les habitants de Gaza victimes une fois de plus de ces bombardements injustes qui n’épargnent ni femmes ni enfants.
— Karim Benzema (@Benzema) October 15, 2023
Benzema's lawyer has announced he will be making a formal legal complaint - the first step in a police investigation - against both politicians for defamation.
Is Benzema involved in the Muslim Brotherhood?
That's for the courts to decide, but Darmanin has so far provided no evidence to back up his assertion of links between the footballer and the Egypt-based Islamist organisation.
The Muslim Brotherhood is considered a terrorist organisation in France (and the US), but other European countries do not classify it as a terror group.
Benzema’s layer Hugues Vigier said in a statement.: "This is false! Karim Benzema has never had the slightest relationship with this organisation."
Cases of this nature can take months or years to get through the legal system.
What's the background?
Benzema has been a favourite target for the far right for many years, both for his background and for his views.
He was born in Lyon to Algerian parents and has spoken of feeling emotional ties to the country of his parents, as well as the country of his birth. He told journalists that he feels both French and Algerian, but has chosen to play for France and is proud to represent his country.
This led to accusation of being a "paper Frenchman" from several politicians on the right.
In fact, football has been a frequent target for the far right, going back to the 1990s when far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen mocked the multi-racial French national team as an “artificial” squad of foreigners “baptised France.” They ought, he said, to be “called something else”.
In 1998, the famous 'black-blanc-beur' (black, white and Arab) French team won the World Cup.
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