Parker apologizes for photo of ‘quenelle’ gesture
San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker apologized Monday for a newly surfaced photograph that shows him making the same gesture with anti-Semitic connotations that French soccer star Nicolas Anelka displayed while celebrating a goal this weekend, creating an uproar in their home country.
The photograph shows Parker and a French comedian making a gesture known in France as a “quenelle,” which critics describe as inverted Nazi salute. Parker said in a statement released through the Spurs that the photograph was taken three years ago.
Parker, who was born in Belgium but raised in France, said he didn’t know at the time that “it could be in any way offensive or harmful.” He said he thought it was part of a comedy act and said he apologized for any misunderstanding or harm.