On Friday, as France was slammed by a fourth night of protests following the deadly police shooting of a teenager, Kylian Mbappe, the captain of France’s national soccer team, along with Les Bleus, demanded a stop to violence and called for “dialogue and reconstruction.”
“The time of violence must give way to that of mourning, dialogue, and reconstruction,” the team stated in a statement that was uploaded on social media by the superstar of Paris Saint-Germain. “The time of violence must give way to that of mourning, dialogue, and reconstruction.”
Les Bleus expressed that they were “shocked by the brutal death of young Nahel,” but they also demanded that violence be replaced with “other peaceful and constructive ways to express oneself.”
Since the murder of 17-year-old Nahel, who was shot dead by a police officer on Tuesday during a traffic check in a Paris suburb, clashes with police have rattled several cities and neighborhoods around France. Nahel was shot dead by a police officer on Tuesday.
“Since this tragic event, we have witnessed the expression of popular anger, the substance of which we understand, but the form of which we cannot endorse,” the French football squad stated in the statement that was published on their individual social media pages. “The form of this anger is one that we cannot endorse.”
The gamers have stated that although they understand “these feelings of pain and sadness,” it is “your property that you are destroying, your neighborhoods, your cities, and your places of fulfilment.”
“In this context of extreme tension, we cannot remain silent, and our civic conscience encourages us to call for appeasement, awareness, and accountability,” they added. “In this context of extreme tension, we cannot remain silent.”
“There are alternative methods that are both helpful and peaceful for us to express ourselves. The concentration of our efforts and our thoughts must be directed in this direction.
Didier Deschamps, the head coach of the France national football team, “welcomed” the initiative taken by the players in a separate letter that he issued to fans of the squad.
“My staff and I are associated with it,” he added. “I am associated with it.” We are also thinking about Nahel’s family during this time. Having said that, and without intending to teach anyone anything, I am deeply convinced that resorting to violence is never the answer to any problem. He added, “I hope with all of my heart that things will turn out for the better.”