French athletes follow the path marked by Mbappe and they support the call to vote against the extreme right. A group of nearly 200 athletes has signed a manifesto published in the newspaper ‘L’Equipe‘ in which they refuse to “resign” themselves to seeing the extreme right “take power” in France.

“Respect is one of the cornerstones of sport: respect for the opponent on the field, respect for those who do not think like us, respect for the environment. The extreme right tramples on this respect every day“, they criticize. For these athletes, among whom Marion Bartoli, Yannick Noah, Marie-José Pérec and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga stand out, the extreme right “exploits our differences” and “manipulate our fears to divide us“.

“The extreme right is deeply opposed to the construction of a democratic, tolerant and dignified society: history shows it. Let us never forget the lessons of the past: Nazism and anti-Semitism caused unimaginable atrocities, including genocides. The National Group has its roots in these ideologies and today continues to feed on racism and xenophobia,” they add.

For this reason, the athletes call on “all people passionate about sports”, since voting in the legislative elections on June 30 and July 7 “will not only be a civic duty, but also an act of love for our country, for our loved ones and for all those most fragile”, who affirm that they will be “victims of discrimination if the right comes to power” in France.

In his statement, Mbappé called on “everyone to vote”, as well as to “become aware of the situation.” “We have the need to identify with our values ​​of respect. I hope we make the right decision“, he shared at a press conference regarding the “crucial moment” that his country is going through.

“The situation is very, very serious. Very serious. I found out after the game (last Sunday) against Canada [de la victoria de Agrupación Nacional en las elecciones europeas]. We were all surprised in the locker room“he confessed.