Legislative: “Let our country not grow in self-hatred”, reacts basketball player Nicolas Batum

Before the morning training session on July 1st in the Kinderarena in Rouen where they will play their first pre-Games warm-up match against Turkey on Wednesday (9pm), the Blues woke up like the rest of the country: with the National Rally on the verge of power. Before the vote in the first round of the legislative elections, many of them had taken a stand, starting with Victor Wembanyama, against what happened.

“I think it’s important to move away from extremes. I think that’s not at all the direction to take for a country like ours,” suggested the NBA rookie of the year. He was not heard and it was with a hangover that the French worked in Normandy. Their captain Nicolas Batum bitterly notes that “we have evolved since 2002 when we remember the reaction at that time.” 22 years ago, Jean-Marie Le Pen qualified for the second round of the presidential election against Jacques Chirac. In shock, France mobilized so that the president of the National Front would not access the Élysée under any circumstances and Jacques Chirac was elected with more than 80% of the votes.

The Norman, before rushing to treatment and rest, answered one last question on the subject that sums up the general feeling. “Did this result of the legislative elections shock you?” The answer is clear. “No, and that’s the worst part!”