Racist abuse of French judo star Teddy Riner investigated after he spoke about rise of far right

Paris public prosecutor opens investigation into online harassment of Riner, one of France’s most popular sportspeople Paris’s public prosecutor has opened an investigation into the racist abuse and online harassment of the French judo star Teddy Riner after he expressed concern about the rise of the far right. Riner, who has often been voted France’s most popular sportsperson and is one of the most successful judo competitors of all time, told a TV sports show this month that he felt “anxiety” about the rise of the far right in France . Numerous racist insults and hate messages were subsequently directed at him online, the prosecutor’s office said. The far-right, anti-immigration National Rally (RN) party politician Marine Le Pen is polling high ahead of next spring’s presidential election. The French football team captain and Real Madrid player, Kylian Mbappé , was at the centre of a row in May when he expressed concerns that Le Pen’s party could win the presidential election. Riner, 37, who was born on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe and grew up in Paris, has a massive following in France, where his ability to swiftly throw and pin his judo opponents to the ground made him a star the Paris 2024 Olympics . He is a French gold medal hope for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Riner wrote on social media on Thursday: “Debate and contradiction are legitimate.

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