“I’m not racist”, defends Bastien Chalureau

2023-09-04 19:27:10

Bastien Chalureau tried on Monday to end the controversy surrounding his selection for the France team for the Rugby World Cup, three years after a conviction for racist violence which he appealed.

Published on: 09/04/2023 – 19:27Modified on: 09/05/2023 – 09:56

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Faced with the growing controversy around the selection of Bastien Chalureau, the player and the XV of France have chosen communication. The second line was sent to a press conference on Monday September 4 to present his story and defend himself against accusations of racism.

“What I can tell you is that I confessed my mistakes, that I paid my debts and that I deny any racist remarks. I am not racist,” the second line told the press. Montpellier, 31, in Rueil-Malmaison where the France team is based.

Chalureau’s Tears

“We discussed with the staff of the France team: they knew from the start, the procedure is old and known to many people”, he underlined, visibly moved, also referring to his family. “It doesn’t just affect me,” he added before bursting into tears.

Chalureau, called on Friday to make up for Paul Willemse’s absence due to injury, was sentenced in 2020 by the Toulouse Criminal Court to a six-month suspended prison sentence for “acts of violence with the circumstance that these were committed due to race or ethnicity of the victim”. He appealed against this judgment.

“There is justice that does its procedure, I refer to justice,” he said Monday, recalling that he refuted the charges “since day one”.

New hearing in November

David Mendel, Chalureau’s lawyer, told AFP on Monday that the appeal hearing would take place in November in Toulouse, without further comment.

Faced with the controversy, the boss of World Rugby, Alan Gilpin, affirmed that racism had “no place in rugby”, while recalling the principle of the presumption of innocence.

Second line Bastien Chalureau in front of the press at the Maison de l’Europe, September 4, 2023 © Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP

“Exemplary” with the XV of France

Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra also called for “respect for the presumption of innocence”.

“Pending the final court decision, everyone must let justice do its job calmly,” she said in a statement.

French internationals represent “the republican values ​​of equality and fraternity” and must “combat all forms of violence and discrimination”, she underlined.

The players of the XV of France for their part assured that the group had not been affected by the controversy, preferring to concentrate on the opening match of the World Cup against the All Blacks on Friday.

“It happened more than two years ago,” said scrum-half Maxime Lucu. “With us, he was always exemplary, there was never a problem with that. He was always present on the pitch.”

“What happens outside, we are not here to answer it: we are rugby players and we let the authorities do their thing. We are focused on Friday’s match”, he added.

Chalureau is accused by two former rugby players of assaulting them after an evening in Toulouse at the end of January 2020.

Second line Bastien Chalureau during a press briefing at the Maison de l’Europe in Rueil-Malmaison, September 4, 2023 © Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP

“I heard a person shouting ‘How are you googlings?’ I turned around and saw a big guy (…) He was constantly continuing his racist insults. I wanted to turn around and he punched me with all his might in the jaw.” had told one of them, Yannick Larguet, in the regional daily La Dépêche du Midi.

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Three Blues victims of racism

Since his selection, the judicial past of the second line has been brought back to the fore by several left-wing personalities.

In a letter to Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, two LFI deputies, François Piquemal and Thomas Portes, considered “that at this stage of the judicial investigation, summoning the player was not relevant for the France team and its cohesion. “.

With @Doors_Thomas we challenge the Minister of Sports on:

-the request for homage to F.Aramburu
-the trivialization of racism during rugby matches
-the selection of B. Chalureau

We will organize a symposium “Another rugby is possible” at the Assembly soon. pic.twitter.com/D1zPeKAYld

— Francois Piquemal (@FraPiquemal) September 4, 2023

These elected officials also recalled that “three other French internationals (Romain Taofifenua, Sékou Macalou and Sipili Falatea) had been victims of racist comments last March on their presence in the France team from Internet users”.

The second row Romain Taofifenua in training with the XV of France in Monaco, July 4, 2023 © Valery HACHE / AFP/Archives

Born near Cazères-sur-Garonne (Haute-Garonne) where he started rugby, Chalureau was playing at the time of the attack at Stade Toulouse.

Following this brawl, he was laid off by Stade Toulousain then recruited by Montpellier, where he confirmed the hopes placed in him by winning his first title, the European Challenge, in June 2021, then that of champion of France in 2022.

Performances that opened the doors to the XV of France, where he has six selections since November 2022.

With AFP