Mbappé China row: Tondelier defends France captain, left-wing MPs dodge issue

Mbappé apologized after calling Mao Zedong a dictator on a YouTube show, sparking Chinese backlash; French Green politician Tondelier defended him as stating historical fact.

Kylian Mbappé faced criticism from China after describing Mao Zedong as a dictator during an appearance on YouTube show The Bridge, where he discussed a meme comparing him to the former Chinese leader. The comments prompted an apology from the France captain.

Marine Tondelier, secretary of France's Green party, publicly defended Mbappé on Wednesday, arguing he had stated established historical fact rather than opinion. "Kylian Mbappé was entirely right to call Mao Zedong a dictator. The tens of millions of deaths for which Mao is responsible and the totalitarian nature of his regime are confirmed by all historians," she wrote on X, criticizing what she called systematic capitulation to Chinese economic pressure.

The response contrasted sharply with France's left-wing La France Insoumise party. Party leader Mathilde Panot simply acknowledged Mbappé's apology without further comment, while deputy Antoine Léaument avoided directly answering whether Mao was a dictator, instead calling for normal international relations with all countries.