Paris Prosecutors Investigate Paraguayan Senator Over Racist Remarks Against Mbappé

The Paris public prosecutor's office has initiated an investigation concerning racist statements made by a Paraguayan senator against Kylian Mbappé, captain of the French national football team. The charges include public insult and incitement to hatred or violence.

On Tuesday, the prosecutor's office confirmed that an inquiry was opened immediately after a complaint was filed by the French Football Federation. The complaint was received by the National Unit for Combating Online Hate on Tuesday, corroborating reports from the radio stations RMC and RTL.

Following Paraguay's 1-0 defeat to France in the Round of 16 in North America on Saturday, Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla launched a harsh attack on Mbappé. The match was described as difficult, marked by numerous errors and unsportsmanlike conduct from the Paraguayan side.

France eventually secured victory and advanced to the quarter-finals thanks to a penalty scored by Mbappé in the second half.

On the social media platform X, the opposition senator wrote: "This fool hasn't even learned to write. Instead of his mother's milk, he was suckling coconut, and the most cultured creatures he has ever heard of in his life are chimpanzees."

These remarks provoked anger from the French player, who received support across various levels.

The Paris prosecutor's office indicated that the charges of public insult and incitement to hatred or violence are aggravated "when based on the victim's actual or presumed origin, ethnicity, nationality, race, or religion."

It affirmed that these offenses may carry penalties of up to one year in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros.

Additionally, the prosecutor's office noted that for the duration of the World Cup, the Central Office for Combating Online Hate has established a monitoring system for racist statements that might be published online, aiming "to enable investigations to be opened as quickly as necessary."