French investigators have opened an inquiry over alleged racism towards French-Malian pop celebrity Aya Nakamura following stories she may carry out on the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, prosecutors stated Friday.
The probe follows the submitting of a criticism by the France-based International League towards Racism and Antisemitism (LICRA) on Wednesday, they stated.
The 28-year-old celebrity is understood worldwide for hits like “Djadja”, which has near a billion streams on YouTube alone.
The alleged racist abuse started after media stories stated the singer had mentioned the potential of performing a music by Twentieth-century icon Edith Piaf at a gathering with President Emmanuel Macron final month, although neither get together has confirmed it.
At a marketing campaign rally on Sunday for the Reconquest get together, led by far-right former presidential candidate Eric Zemmour, Nakamura’s identify drew boos from the gang.
A small extremist group, the Natives, hung a banner by the River Seine that learn: “There’s no way Aya. This is Paris, not the Bamako market.”
SOS Racism, one other group battling discrimination, stated on X that it had additionally filed an official criticism over “acts of incitement to discrimination and racist cyberbullying” towards the artist.
It stated she had been “the victim of waves of racist hate driven by the far right”.
The Olympics organising committee advised AFP on Monday that it had been “very shocked” by the backlash towards the singer, and Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera additionally expressed her help on X.
Nakamura stated Tuesday that stated she was grateful.
“Thanks for the support, especially to my community,” she posted on X. “I feel like I made you discover Edith Piaf and she has been reincarnated in me.”
© 2024 AFP