French politician Nadine Morano brands Karim Benzema as “an agent of Hamas propaganda”

Speaking on C News, French politician Nadine Morano called former Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema (35) an “agent of Hamas propaganda” after the Frenchman paid tribute to Gazan victims amidst the ongoing conflict with Israel. 

On Sunday, the former France international Benzema took to X to pay tribute to Gazan victims. “All our prayers for the habitants of Gaza, once again victims of these unfair bombings that spare neither women nor children,” said Benzema. 

Benzema retired from the France national team at the end of 2022 and currently plays for Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad. His online intervention has been criticised by Morano, a member of the European Parliament since 2014. Morano is a member of Les Republicains. In 2016, French president at the time Nicolas Sarkozy removed Morano from the party’s list for regional elections after she said France was a “white race” country, and that it must stay that way. 

“France is a Judeo-Christian country […] of white race, which is attracting foreigners. I want France to remain France. I don’t want France to become Muslim,” said Morano on French TV back in 2016. President Sarkozy, who cut Morano from the party’s list of candidates at the time said: “Her comments do not correspond to what France is or the values supported by Les Republicains.” Speaking to C News, Morano has now called Benzema “an agent of Hamas propaganda.”

“Just by writing that (the aforementioned statement on X), he is an agent of Hamas propaganda because Hamas has a strategy to physically destroy Isreal, but also to destroy Israel through international public opinion,” said Morano. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle