According to Le Parisien, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez apologized again to France on Tuesday during the French National Day parade on July 14 for former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's racist remarks against the French national team.
This scene unfolded hours before the World Cup semi-final match between France and Spain. Sanchez was greeted near the official stands by French Prime Minister Sébastien Le Corny and First Lady Brigitte Macron. Footage shows Sanchez placing his hands on his chest and giving a slight bow in apology.
Sanchez said, "I feel very ashamed."
These remarks were clearly a response to Rajoy's previous controversial comments. Former Spanish Prime Minister Rajoy recently published an article in El Debate, stating that the French team was a "very high-level" team, but "had no Frenchmen."
Sanchez had previously condemned Rajoy's remarks as "xenophobic" on social media, writing: "May the best team win, may racism fail."
Rajoy's remarks have sparked strong controversy in both France and Spain, with some Spanish national team players publicly speaking out in support of the French team. Rajoy served as prime minister of Spain's conservative government from 2011 to 2018, which collapsed in 2018 amid lawsuits related to illegal party financing.
