Paraguayan senator defends racist rant against Kylian Mbappé

Paraguayan senator defends racist rant against Kylian Mbappé — and insults him again

Celeste Amarilla posted series of racist comments about soccer star on social media

Warning: This story contains racist and graphic language

Once again, France soccer star Kylian Mbappé led his team to a victory in a critical World Cup match.

And once again, that's not the only reason he's making headlines this week thanks to a Paraguayan senator's comments.

Celeste Amarilla, who has been condemned for posting a series of racist statements on X after Mbappé converted the winning penalty in France’s victory over Paraguay on Saturday, had the opportunity to defend her actions in a senate session Wednesday.

While doing so, she insulted Mbappé again, calling him a "son of a bitch" in Spanish for refusing to shake Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill's hand, according to video posted by The Associated Press.

"He's not French, a Frenchman wouldn't do that," she added in the video, which was translated by AP.

That same day, after a long debate, the senate passed a motion rejecting Amarilla's "racist and discriminatory" remarks. According to a statement posted by the senate, Amarilla argued she had acted in defence of her country and felt offended by Mbappe's actions, but assumed personal responsibility.

Sen. Basilio Núñez, president of the senate, said in the statement that her posts were "wrong, and do not represent what the majority of Paraguayans think."

On Thursday, Amarilla said her Instagram had been hacked, writing on X that she wasn't responsible for anything posted there from then onward. A few hours later, she posted on Instagram that she got her account back and "France can keep bothering me."

Amarilla's original comments about Mbappé, mocking the French captain’s origins, upbringing, education and appearance, have been condemned by the United Nations Human Rights Office as "dehumanizing" and "despicable."

The posts were deleted on X, but one is still visible on her Instagram account. In the post written in Spanish, Amarilla described Mbappé as a "colonized Cameroonian, trying so hard to pretend to be French."

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She also called him "bitter, new money, arrogant and ugly," and said Paraguay's players should have slapped him after the match.

In other posts cited by media outlets, Amarilla also reportedly called Mbappé a "brute" who had not learned to write.

"Instead of mother's milk, he sucked on coconuts, and the most educated thing he heard were chimpanzees," Amarilla reportedly posted, according to numerous media outlets.

'A crime’: racist remarks against Mbappé rock World Cup

The Paraguayan government released a statement Monday afternoon, writing in Spanish that Amarilla’s remarks are “contrary to the values and principles that inspire peaceful coexistence and respect for human dignity that our country promotes.”

The French Football Federation on Monday denounced her posts as "utterly abhorrent" and "unacceptable," adding that it would refer the matter to prosecutors, who on Tuesday opened an investigation into "aggravated public insult and incitement to hatred or violence."

The Paris prosecutor’s office said the remarks "were allegedly made because of the victim’s actual or perceived origin, ethnicity, nationality, race, or religion."

The offences are punishable by up to one year of imprisonment and a 45,000-euro fine (about $73,000 Cdn).

Natalie Stechyson has been a writer and editor at CBC News since 2021. She covers stories on social trends, families, gender, human interest, as well as general news. She's worked as a journalist since 2009, with stints at the Globe and Mail and Postmedia News, among others. Before joining CBC News, she was the parents editor at HuffPost Canada, where she won a silver Canadian Online Publishing Award for her work on pregnancy loss. You can reach her at natalie.stechyson@cbc.ca.

With files from The Associated Press