SA opera star hits out at French police in racism row

The South African opera star who on Tuesday accused the French immigration authorities of “outrageous racial discrimination” after she was stopped at the airport has accused the police of issuing a misleading statement about what happened.

In a Facebook post Pretty Yende said that the French police told reporters that she did not have the correct paperwork.

"I’d like to clarify that I DID have all the necessary documents that permit me to move freely and work," she writes.

She then gives details and has uploaded photos of her documents to prove her case.

She says that her lawyer argues that her rights were violated.

"No more playing my word against yours game," she concludes.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday Yende said she was "stripped and searched like a criminal offender" and put in a cell at the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris.

She said the experience made her worried about her life: “I was filled with so many negative thoughts. I’m still shaken thinking that I am one in a million who managed to come out of that situation alive."

The South African embassy in Paris has asked the French authorities to launch an investigation into the matter.

This article originally appeared on BBC News

Photo: AFP