The calls from numerous athletes for the French to mobilize and vote for stop the extreme right They dominated this Monday the first day of the official campaign for the early legislative elections in France.
With the Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) solidly installed at the forefront of voting intention polls, the fuse lit from the concentration of the senior soccer team, with Kylian Mbappé as a figurehead, it has continued to burn and has spread to other areas, but also to the discussion about whether athletes should demonstrate on political issues, reports Efe.
A group of almost 200 athletes and coaches, active or retired -from sailing to climbing, from skiing to fencing-, published a manifesto this Monday in the sports newspaper L’Equipe in which they claim that “We cannot resign ourselves to seeing the extreme right take power in our country.”
“The extreme right is in deep opposition to the construction of a democratic, tolerant and dignified society,” adds the manifesto.
The statement followed some words from Mbappé who, although They came behind other of their teammates Ousmane Dembelé and Marcus Thuram, They had much more travel both due to their concreteness and the media reach of the new Real Madrid player.
“We are at a crucial moment for our country. The Eurocup is important in our career, but we are citizens and we are not disconnected from what is happening in our nation. “We find ourselves in an unprecedented situation and at a decisive moment,” Mbappé said of his rejection of Marine Le Pen’s party.
“I want to be proud to defend a country that represents my values,” added the undisputed star of the French team.
The RN spokesperson, the outgoing deputy Laurent Jacobelli, tried to haggle over Mbappé’s words: “I do not feel concerned. Neither I nor my party, by the term ‘extreme’,” he said today in a statement to the FranceInfo radio station.
The under 21 and Olympic coach, former star Thierry Henry joined today and said that “what can stop the extremes is voting. Therefore, go vote.”
Henry declared himself “against all that divides and for all that can unite.”
Support from the Minister of Sports
The French Minister of Sports, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, indicated her support for athletes expressing their opinion. “Without forcing anyone to do so, I welcome those who have spoken out in recent days,” he said in a statement after the first boat rehearsal of the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games, which will take place with a las delegations on board boats on a stretch of the Seine.
Even so, the minister stressed that “different positions must be respected,” since while some athletes feel “the need to speak publicly about the country’s political situation,” others prefer to “express their opinions in more private circles or remain on the sidelines.” , although this does not prevent them from being committed.
Support for the international footballers also came from the president of the French Federation, Philippe Diallo.
“There are players who have expressed themselves, it is their freedom as citizens. It is freedom of expression, which the Federation fully respects,” Diallo said in statements to RMC Sport radio.
Although traditionally professional athletes have generally refrained from speaking out on political issues, the involvement of some in social issues and the enormous weight they have on the networks has meant that on this occasion the impact is very striking.
For example, Mbappé’s statements on Sunday They had more than a million reactions on social networks in the first hour alone, according to some experts.
The reaction of the extreme right
Kylian Mbappé’s calls have not been liked within the National Group, from where They have asked the captain of the French team for “a little restraint” and that it does not give “political lessons” that, according to them, it is not their responsibility to give.
The vice president of the National Group, Sébastien Chenu, has stated that “when you have the honor of wearing the shirt of the French team, you have to have a little restraint”, a day after Mbappé warned that the country is facing a moment “crucial” and came out in defense of “the values of tolerance, diversity and respect” against the “extremes”, reports Europa Press.
Chenu stated in an interview on France Inter that “many” of his party’s supporters follow the national team and “like Mbappé.” “They don’t expect political lessons from him. He has the right to have an opinion, but I do not believe that people who I consider disconnected come to give lessons to the French, he said. For his part, the spokesperson for the National Group, Laurent Jacobelli, has reinterpreted Mbappé’s words, even ensuring that he is “right.” “I do not take myself, nor our party, for granted by the extreme term”, he argued in an interview on Franceinfo.
