Mao survivor calls Mbappe apology too quick
Xi Van Fleet argues the French striker should have stood by his joke given the dictator's history of killing millions.
By Leila Reynolds ·
Chinese-American author Xi Van Fleet criticized Kylian Mbappe for apologizing so quickly after a meme involving Mao Zedong sparked a national backlash in China.
Fleet appeared on Fox Business on Thursday to discuss the fallout. She argued that the rapid apologies from Mbappe, his club Real Madrid, and the La Liga league were unnecessary given the context of the joke.
"The truth will set you free; know who Mao was and then you should stand by what you said," Fleet stated.
The controversy began after Mbappe laughed during an interview on The Bridge. The French talk show is hosted by his teammate Aurelien Tchouameni. The joke involved a meme that superimposed Mbappe's face on an image resembling Mao.
Mbappe, 27, is often nicknamed The Dictator, which inspired the meme. China's government viewed the interaction as an insult. State broadcaster CCTV stopped airing La Liga matches in China. Several Chinese sponsors also cut ties with the player.
La Liga issued the first public apology. Real Madrid followed suit, initially claiming the incident was a personal expression that would not affect commercial links in China. The club made a formal apology to CCTV on Wednesday.
Fleet noted that many people in China do not know what Mbappe actually said. "They were told that he insulted China. You have no freedom of speech, you have no freedom of press, you don't know what really happened," she explained.
She added, "You just do what the government tells you to do."
