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By Palestine Chronicle Editors
The organized assaults towards Benzema didn’t appear random. They concerned journalists, intellectuals, well-coordinated social media campaigns, and even prime politicians.
Within the early days of the Israeli conflict on Gaza, the marketing campaign to suppress any pro-Palestine view, the truth is, any anti-war view, was most intense.
Some international locations in Europe, which satisfaction themselves on supposed freedom of speech, both banned or thought of banning the Palestinian flag, and even particular chants.
In some international locations, particularly France, the marketing campaign turned much more excessive the place artists, sportsmen and even odd residents have been attacked, and in some instances tried, for social media statements expressing solidarity with the Palestinians.
This era shall be remembered because the conflict on freedom of speech in lots of European societies.
🚨#BREAKING: Footballer Karim Benzema information a defamation grievance towards French Inside Minister Gérald Darmanin, who claimed that Benzema is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood.
Darmanin’s allegation was made after Benzema confirmed help for the Palestinian folks and… pic.twitter.com/7GUnBgqt0w
— The Saviour (@stairwayto3dom) January 17, 2024
It will likely be significantly troublesome for Paris to genuinely declare to be the Ville des lumières, the Metropolis of Lights, when the likes of Algerian participant Youcef Atal was, the truth is, tried in court docket, resulting in the disruption of his profitable soccer profession, additionally due to a social media submit associated to Gaza.
Even the likes of Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema obtained his fair proportion of insults, assaults, the truth is, outright defamation, merely for stating “All our prayers are for the folks of Gaza who as soon as once more fell sufferer to this unjust bombing, which didn’t spare ladies or kids,” on his X account, on October 15.
Nonetheless, Benzema, 36, who’s now a participant for Al-Ittihad, within the Roshn League in Saudi Arabia, is combating again.
Defamation
The organized assaults towards Benzema didn’t appear random. They concerned journalists, intellectuals, well-coordinated social media campaigns, and even prime politicians, the likes of French Inside Minister Gérald Darmanin.
When Darmanin accused Benzema of being “notoriously linked” to the Muslim Brotherhood, thus linking him to Hamas in Gaza, he didn’t appear to care about the truth that Benzema was working and dwelling in Saudi Arabia, a rustic that outlaws the Islamic political motion.
French Politicians, Media Assault Ballon d’Or Winner Benzema for Solidarity with Gaza
Maybe, Darmanin was taken benefit of the anti-Hamas euphoria, which stays lively in France over 100 days into the Israeli genocide in Gaza. Maybe he assumed that there could be no accountability, authorized or in any other case.
The other is true. Based on an Agence France Presse report, Benzema has determined to sue the French Minister for his defamatory feedback.
I’ve “by no means had the slightest reference to the Muslim Brotherhood group, nor to (my) data with anybody who claims to be a member of it,” Benzema was quoted as saying.
The French participant mentioned that he has been “instrumentalized in political video games”, significantly due to his fame.
However Benzema isn’t just well-known. He serves as a illustration of an empowered technology of French Muslims, fiercely impartial and politically concerned.
This technology is problematic within the view of right-wing, the truth is mainstream politics, in France.
The selection by Darmanin of attacking Benzema for merely stating the apparent in Gaza was not random.
“Benzema is notoriously linked with the Muslim Brotherhood, everyone knows it,” Darmanin mentioned final October, a couple of days into the conflict.
He didn’t hassle to supply any proof, nor was he anticipated to take action by French media. The French official repeated the identical declare in the identical interview, as to be sure that he was clearly understood. Benzema “made the extraordinarily selective alternative of utilizing the identical discourse because the Muslim Brotherhood” on social media, he claimed.
‘Strive Macron, Not Atal’ – Algerian Participant Sentenced for Gaza Solidarity
This ‘extraordinarily selective alternative’ was, once more, “All our prayers are for the folks of Gaza who as soon as once more fell sufferer to this unjust bombing, which didn’t spare ladies or kids”.
Darmanin might have made that connection just because Bezema has made some extent of taking satisfaction in his faith, in fasting the Holy Month of Ramadan, and for sometimes taking ethical stances in points that didn’t match into the agenda of the likes of Darmanin.
What is apparent, nevertheless, is that hard-line politicians in France, or extra precisely extremist ‘secularists’, rejoice on the alternative of attacking French Muslims, accusing them of difficult the supposed secular id of the state, and selling a spiritual tradition in a rustic that appears to solely have area for sure teams of individuals, with sure ideologies, ethnic backgrounds, and concepts.
Benzema is accustomed to what his lawyer, Hugues Vigier, described as “a false communication stunt.”
Darmanin’s feedback are “sowing division in France, with tons of people that don’t perceive this type of speak, some who exclude Karim Benzema and a few who really feel excluded by what’s being mentioned about him,” Vigier mentioned in an interview with French radio broadcaster RTL.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
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