In an interview on Tuesday on BFMTV, Yassine Belattar affirmed his legitimacy in being part of this delegation in his capacity as a “French and Moroccan artist”. “I’ve been doing this job for 20 years,” recalled the comedian, before adding: “There are 122 people in the delegation, it’s a very good day for the relationship between France and Morocco.” . Belattar also expressed his “pride in returning to Morocco, with a plane with “French Republic” written on it, and in succeeding in reconciling the history of the two countries that forged me.” “This page is magnificent to write,” he added.
Yassine Belattar also denounced the comments reported by CNews according to which Sébastien Lecornu, Minister of the Armed Forces, took him “for a technician” during this trip. “I know Sébastien Lecornu since I met him on several occasions. I find it deplorable that someone around him would say that I was a technician,” declared the comedian, criticizing these “racist comments”.
To read: Yassine Belattar in tracksuit and sneakers… to meet King Mohammed VI
The presence of the comedian in the French president's delegation which is making a three-day state visit to Morocco, sparked a strong reaction from far-right figures. “How can this so-called comedian, convicted of death threats, close to the anti-Semites of the CCIF (Collective against Islamophobia in France), be present on a trip of this importance in the company of the President of the Republic? It’s as disrespectful for France as it is for Morocco,” wrote Jordan Bardella, the president of the National Rally, on X.
For Marion Maréchal, the presence of Belattar, “who is also in a tracksuit”, brought “shame to the French delegation visiting the friendly country of Morocco”. In addition to the comedian, the delegation is made up of ten ministers, including that of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, and that of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, deputies and businessmen, as well as friends of the French president, Jean-Marc Borello, founder of the SOS associative group, and Christian Dargnat, a former banker.