Euro 2020: the knee to the ground announced by the Blues criticized by politicians

A few minutes before the kick-off of their first Euro match against Germany on Wednesday night, the Blues will drop to one knee.

A symbolic gesture, resulting from the “Black Lives Matter” movement, the objective of which is to show their support in the fight against racism.

This act, announced at a press conference on Monday by Captain Hugo Lloris, is not to the taste of all the political class.

"It's still an imported operation"

“Very sincerely I regret it, 'Black Lives Matter' is a drama but it is a drama that happened in the United States, it is a drama that happened with the American police. The French police have never had these excesses ”

, denounced on Europe 1 Thierry Mariani, RN candidate for regional Paca.

"It is still an operation imported from a foreign country which has no connection with France and I am attached to the neutrality of sport"

, added the former minister of Nicolas Sarkozy.

"I ask the France team to say very clearly that it can in no way be interpreted as a gesture with regard to the magnificent action that the internal security forces are carrying out in France"

, claimed on CNews the ex-LR mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi, while wishing not to enter

"into a polemical and political debate"

.

Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu stressed on France Info that this gesture was a

"personal commitment"

of the players

"that they wish to show and affirm"

.

"Today we need the commitment of athletes"

, she wanted to say.

The former professional swimmer recalled in particular that the government had just "

enshrined in the law for the principles of the Republic the commitment of the sports movement alongside the State to fight against this scourge"

of racism.

"It doesn't hurt anyone"

"This kind of symbol, it does not hurt anyone, but it is not what makes things happen"

, estimated for its part the number 3 of LR Aurélien Pradié on Sud Radio.

Within the majority, LREM deputy François Cormier-Bouligeon also deplored this gesture.

“Show our opposition to racism and discrimination yes, 1000 times yes.

But what have we done to have to get down to one knee ?!

Repentance is not the way to go.

Support for young people from city policy districts is more effective! ”

, he noted on Twitter.

The French football team had already made this gesture against Wales in a preparation match.

Since the start of the competition, the Belgian players have also dropped to one knee, under the whistles of the Saint Petersburg public, on Saturday before the Euro game against Russia, while the Russians remained standing.

Before them, the players of the "Premier League" (first division of the English championship, editor's note) in particular took the habit of putting one knee on the ground before the meetings since George Floyd, a black man, was killed by a white policeman in the United States last year.