BLM activist soccer player charged with four counts of rape

Prominent footballer and Black Lives Matter activist Benjamin Mendy has been charged with four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.

The Manchester City star is accused of rape and sexual assault by three women, according to the BBC, including a minor. The alleged attacks took place between October 2020 and August 2021.

The BBC reports that Mendy "showed no emotion" following an appearance at Cheshire Magistrates Court in which he confirmed his name, address, and date of birth. He is set to appear at Chester Crown Court on September 10.

The French-born player was promptly suspended by Manchester City following revelations of the allegations. According to Sportrac, he is currently in the fifth year of a six year, £28,080,000 contract with the team.

Mendy has professed his support for Black Lives Matter on numerous occasions, claiming to be a supporter of the oppressed. Many other footballers claim the same, donning jerseys adorned with "Black Lives Matter" and sharing solidarity with those facing injustice.

In response to the news of the charges brought against Mendy, actor Laurence Fox took to Twitter. According to The Daily Mail, Fox wrote "Get kneeling, f*****s." The tweet was promptly flagged by Twitter and his account was briefly suspended.

Fox proceeded to post a Twitter thread, slamming professional footballers for their hypocrisy and moral grandstanding.

He referred to players as "mega-rich crybabies who readily & ludicrously take the position of the oppressed, when all too often they have been the ones abusing their huge power for nefarious reasons."

Fox clarified that his tweet was not about race, rather he was "instructing footballers to kneel for the victims of rape & sexual assaults committed by footballers."