French prosecutors have opened an investigation into the racist attack on Kylian Mbappé by a Paraguayan senator, with officials weighing whether to demand that the senator be charged with aggravated public insult or incitement to hatred or violence.
Investigation launched after FFF complaint
The Paris prosecutor’s office told the Guardian on Tuesday it had launched the inquiry after the French Football Federation (FFF) filed a complaint with the national unit for combating online hate. The remarks were made by Celeste Amarilla, a senator from Paraguay’s Liberal Radical party, following Paraguay’s bruising loss to France at the World Cup on Saturday.
Amarilla posted a torrent of racial abuse against Mbappé on social media, mocking the France captain whose penalty sent France into the quarter-finals. The FFF described her comments as “utterly abhorrent and unacceptable”.
Amarilla’s abusive remarks
Amarilla described Mbappé as a “colonised Cameroonian, desperately trying to pass himself off as French” and as a “brute who had not learned to write”. She added that Paraguay’s players should have slapped him after the match.
Mbappé responded soon after, calling her a “despicable woman and unworthy of your position”. He said she did not represent Paraguay, a country that “sweated passion and honour throughout the competition”. He added that her tirade was a distraction from Paraguay’s tremendous accomplishment at the World Cup.
Legal consequences and response
The Paris prosecutor’s office noted that the remarks were allegedly made because of the victim’s actual or perceived origin, ethnicity, nationality, race, or religion. The offences are punishable by up to one year of imprisonment and a €45,000 ($51,000) fine.
After her racist attack made headlines, Amarilla posted an open letter in French and Spanish to Mbappé, seeking to lay blame with him for her remarks. She said she regretted mistreating him with “the same insults” she had received as a mixed-race person and said she had deleted her post. However, she used nearly half the letter to criticise Mbappé’s response, demanding an apology and accusing him of gender-based violence.
Official condemnation
The government of Paraguay distanced itself from her remarks, describing them as “contrary to the values and principles that inspire peaceful coexistence and respect for human dignity that our country promotes”. France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, voiced support for Mbappé, saying, “Another goal for Kylian Mbappé. Against racism this time. All my support. When words smear, our values respond: dignity, respect, fraternity.” Macron’s office said the president of Paraguay, Santiago Peña, had written to express support and condemn the remarks.
France’s assistant coach, Guy Stephan, told reporters he had yet to speak with Mbappé about the abuse but was unequivocal in his condemnation: “In three words: it’s disgraceful, vile, outrageous.”
