By Palestine Chronicle Editors

The organized attacks against Benzema did not seem random. They involved journalists, intellectuals, well-coordinated social media campaigns, and even top politicians.

In the early days of the Israeli war on Gaza, the campaign to suppress any pro-Palestine view, in fact, any anti-war view, was most intense. 

Some countries in Europe, which pride themselves on supposed freedom of speech, either banned or considered banning the Palestinian flag, or even specific chants. 

In some countries, especially France, the campaign turned even more extreme where artists, sportsmen and even ordinary citizens were attacked, and in some cases tried, for social media statements expressing solidarity with the Palestinians. 

This period shall be remembered as the war on freedom of speech in many European societies. 

🚨#BREAKING: Footballer Karim Benzema files a defamation complaint against French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, who claimed that Benzema is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood.

Darmanin's allegation was made after Benzema showed support for the Palestinian people and… pic.twitter.com/7GUnBgqt0w

— The Saviour (@stairwayto3dom) January 17, 2024

It will be particularly difficult for Paris to genuinely claim to be the Ville des lumières, the City of Lights, when the likes of Algerian player Youcef Atal was, in fact, tried in court, leading to the disruption of his successful football career, also because of a social media post related to Gaza. 

Even the likes of Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema received his fair share of insults, attacks, in fact, outright defamation, simply for stating “All our prayers are for the people of Gaza who once again fell victim to this unjust bombing, which did not spare women or children,” on his X account, on October 15.

However, Benzema, 36, who is now a player for Al-Ittihad, in the Roshn League in Saudi Arabia, is fighting back. 

Defamation

The organized attacks against Benzema did not seem random. They involved journalists, intellectuals, well-coordinated social media campaigns, and even top politicians, the likes of French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin.

When Darmanin accused Benzema of being “notoriously linked” to the Muslim Brotherhood, thus linking him to Hamas in Gaza, he did not seem to care about the fact that Benzema was working and living in Saudi Arabia, a country that outlaws the Islamic political movement.  

French Politicians, Media Attack Ballon d’Or Winner Benzema for Solidarity with Gaza

Perhaps, Darmanin was taken advantage of the anti-Hamas euphoria, which remains active in France over 100 days into the Israeli genocide in Gaza. Perhaps he assumed that there would be no accountability, legal or otherwise.

The opposite is true. According to an Agence France Presse report, Benzema has decided to sue the French Minister for his defamatory comments. 

I have “never had the slightest connection with the Muslim Brotherhood organization, nor to (my) knowledge with anyone who claims to be a member of it,” Benzema was quoted as saying.

The French player said that he has been “instrumentalized in political games”, particularly because of his fame.

But Benzema is not just famous. He serves as a representation of an empowered generation of French Muslims, fiercely independent and politically involved. 

This generation is problematic in the view of right-wing, in fact mainstream politics, in France.

The choice by Darmanin of attacking Benzema for simply stating the obvious in Gaza was not random.

“Benzema is notoriously linked with the Muslim Brotherhood, we all know it,” Darmanin said last October, a few days into the war.

He did not bother to provide any evidence, nor was he expected to do so by French media. The French official repeated the same claim in the same interview, as to make sure that he was clearly understood. Benzema “made the extremely selective choice of using the same discourse as the Muslim Brotherhood” on social media, he claimed.

‘Try Macron, Not Atal’ – Algerian Player Sentenced for Gaza Solidarity

This ‘extremely selective choice’ was, again, “All our prayers are for the people of Gaza who once again fell victim to this unjust bombing, which did not spare women or children”.

Darmanin may have made that connection simply because Bezema has made a point of taking pride in his religion, in fasting the Holy Month of Ramadan, and for occasionally taking moral stances in issues that did not fit into the agenda of the likes of Darmanin. 

What is obvious, however, is that hard-line politicians in France, or more accurately extremist ‘secularists’, rejoice at the opportunity of attacking French Muslims, accusing them of challenging the supposed secular identity of the state, and promoting a religious culture in a country that seems to only have space for certain groups of people, with certain ideologies, ethnic backgrounds, and ideas.

Benzema is familiar with what his lawyer, Hugues Vigier, described as “a false communication stunt.” 

Darmanin’s comments are “sowing division in France, with lots of people who don’t understand this kind of talk, some who exclude Karim Benzema and some who feel excluded by what’s being said about him,” Vigier said in an interview with French radio broadcaster RTL.

(The Palestine Chronicle)