According to media reports, French football player Karim Benzema has filed a defamation case against France’s interior minister for claiming that the player have alleged ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.
In October, Gérald Darmanin stated that Benzema “has a notorious link” to the Islamist Sunni Muslim group. The attorney for Benzema said that the remark “undermines” his honour and reputation.
Several nations forbid the Muslim Brotherhood, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Russia.
The athlete tweeted his solidarity for the Gazan people, calling them “victims again of unjust bombardments which spare neither women nor children,” which prompted Darmanin to make his October statement.
Observing that he did not show the same compassion for the roughly 1,300 Israelis whom Hamas murdered on October 7, Darmanin claimed the Benzema was “well-known for his links with the Muslim Brotherhood”.
The lawmaker stated on the conservative TV network CNews, “We are fighting the hydra that is the Muslim Brotherhood because it creates an atmosphere of jihadism.”
The 36-year-old Muslim player Karim Benzema of Saudi Arabia promptly refuted the allegations and threatened to sue the minister for defamation.
He states that he “has never had the slightest link with the Muslim Brotherhood organisation, nor to (his) knowledge with anyone who claims to be a member of it” in his 92-page lawsuit, which was extensively covered by French media on Tuesday.
“I am aware of the extent to which, because of my notoriety, I am being used in political games, which are all the more scandalous given the dramatic events since October 7 deserve something quite different from this type of statement,” the former Real Madrid player continued.
