Spain's Former Prime Minister Faces Racism Backlash; France's Far-Right Also Condemns 'Racist' Remarks

Ahead of the World Cup semifinal, Mariano Rajoy, former conservative Prime Minister of Spain and member of the right-wing People's Party (PP), wrote in an opinion column for the online outlet El Debate on the 11th that while France had a top-tier squad, it had 'no French players' (Eso sí, sin franceses.).

The comment immediately ignited outrage across political circles in both Spain and France. French government ministers issued strong statements condemning Rajoy's remarks as 'racist' and 'unacceptable,' urging the French Football Federation to consider legal action.

Even Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally party, known for its 'France First' platform and strict immigration policies, broke from its usual stance to stand alongside President Emmanuel Macron’s government, criticizing Rajoy by stating, 'Mr. Rajoy is a racist, which is regrettable.'

Elma Saiz, Spain’s Minister for Inclusion, Social Security, and Migration and spokesperson for the left-wing government, acknowledged on Spain’s national broadcaster TVE that Rajoy’s 'racist and xenophobic statements' had placed Spain in a 'diplomatic dilemma' and a minor 'international conflict.'

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez condemned the remarks as 'shaming the nation,' while Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares made an urgent call to his French counterpart to clarify Spain’s position. He also urged People's Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo to distance himself publicly from Rajoy and called on El Debate to retract the article.

Rajoy, however, refused to withdraw his comments and continued a war of words with government officials. The People's Party spokesperson, Borja Sémper, avoided criticizing Rajoy directly, claiming the article was 'ironic' and 'not intended maliciously.'

Nonetheless, the controversy has escalated to a matter of national interest. The People's Party, accused of tolerating hate speech, joined forces with the far-right Vox party in the Senate to block the ratification of the 'Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation' signed between Spain and France in 2023.

The People's Party challenged the treaty’s clause allowing foreign ministers to attend domestic ministerial council meetings, deeming it unconstitutional and requesting a review by the Constitutional Court, thereby stalling the ratification process.

The ruling left-wing coalition strongly criticized this move. Albares accused the opposition of using a 'scorched-earth strategy' to sabotage bilateral trade relations and undermine Spain’s pro-European cooperation stance.

While the political storm triggered by football continues to reverberate, Spain and France are set to face off in the semifinal tonight at 9 p.m. local time (3 a.m. Taiwan time), shifting the focus back to the sport, the teams, and their fans.