National Rally, the party of French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, has accused former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy of being "racist" on Monday following his remarks that the French national football team has "a very high level, yes, but without Frenchmen," emphasizing that these are words that "everyone should condemn."
"Mr. Rajoy is a racist. Simply put, his statements are scandalous, shameful, and regrettable. Everyone should condemn them," stated Julien Odoul, a deputy in the French National Assembly and spokesperson for Le Pen's party, during an interview on France Info.
The spokesperson attributed these statements to people who are "obsessed with race" and who "believe that skin color and origin determine everything."
"That is the complete antithesis of the French project. The French project consists of three colors: blue, white, and red, regardless of each person's origin or religion," Odoul added, in light of the controversy generated by Rajoy's article about the World Cup semi-final match to be played this Tuesday between France and Spain.
In any case, Odoul stressed that there are statements from the president of the Senegalese Senate, Ousmane Sonko, in which he "said exactly the same thing" by stating that the winner of the France versus Senegal match in the first round would represent the triumph of a "real African country."
"Sonko also made racist comments. However, I observe that there is much more indignation towards Mr. Rajoy, a Spanish leader, than towards Mr. Sonko, a Senegalese leader," he pointed out.
The words of the former Spanish head of government have triggered a strong reaction from the French government since Sunday, which described them as "absolutely unacceptable." In addition to the criticism from the Minister of the Interior, Laurent Nuñez, and the Minister for Overseas Territories, Naïma Moutchou, the French Embassy in Spain has also joined in, recalling that "out of the 26 players, 23 were born in France."