SPAIN APOLOGISES TO FRANCE OVER RAJOY’S RACISM CONTROVERSY
Read Time:1 Minute, 42 Second
By: Fasasi Hammad
Spain has formally apologised to France after former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy triggered a diplomatic row with remarks questioning the national identity of France’s football team ahead of Tuesday’s FIFA World Cup semi-final.
According to Reuters, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares conveyed Spain’s apology to his French counterpart, describing Rajoy’s comments as “intolerable” and unrepresentative of the views held by most Spaniards.
Albares condemned the remarks, saying it was unacceptable to use skin colour as a measure of citizenship or national identity, adding that such views carried “the poison of racism and xenophobia.”
The controversy erupted after Rajoy wrote in Spanish online publication El Debate that although France possessed “a squad of the very highest calibre,” there were “no French players in it,” an apparent reference to the African and Afro-Caribbean backgrounds of several members of the French national team.
READ MORE…
SENATOR NATASHA CALLS FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL SUPPORT FOR FREED OYO PUPILS
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who attended France’s National Day celebrations in Paris, also denounced the comments, criticising those who judge nationality based on surnames, birthplace or skin colour. He described Rajoy’s remarks as “shamefully xenophobic.”
The dispute comes amid heightened scrutiny of racist comments directed at French players. Days earlier, France captain Kylian Mbappé condemned remarks by Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla, who referred to him as a “colonised Cameroonian” following Paraguay’s World Cup elimination.
In France, Rajoy’s comments were widely condemned across the political spectrum.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot rejected the remarks, stating that France “has no skin colour” and describing any suggestion otherwise as either racist, foolish, or both.
The criticism also extended to France’s far-right National Rally party, whose spokesman, Julien Odoul, labelled the comments “scandalous, shameful and deplorable” and accused Rajoy of racism.
Rajoy has yet to publicly address the backlash. However, a spokesperson for his People’s Party said the article was intended as sarcasm and was not meant to offend.
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0