Chinese activist Ai Weiwei believes Kylian Mbappe shouldn't have apologized to to the Chinese People: Ai Weiwei🗣️: “Mbappé should never have apologised for laughing at that Mao Zedong meme. And I’ll tell you why. We are talking about Mao, whose policies contributed to a famine that killed tens of millions of people, whose government persecuted political opponents, and whose Cultural Revolution brought years of violence, imprisonment and suffering to millions. Families were destroyed, intellectuals were persecuted, and cultural heritage was lost. These are historical realities. History cannot be erased simply because powerful people find it uncomfortable. What I find ridiculous is the hypocrisy. People have been sharing that meme for years. It was even reportedly brought into the World Cup atmosphere, a tournament watched by billions, yet nobody made this level of noise. Then Mbappé laughs, and suddenly the entire world loses its mind. Now we hear about China withdrawing from La Liga, brands distancing themselves from Mbappé and La Liga's president apologising amid the controversy. Everybody seems eager to protect commercial interests, but where is the support for the player? Where are the people willing to say, ‘I might disagree with him, but he has the right to express himself’? Thankfully, ordinary people are still standing with him. They can see the double standard, even when powerful institutions seem unwilling to acknowledge it. And this is exactly why footballers nowadays show so little personality. They are afraid to laugh, speak honestly or express an opinion without worrying about losing sponsorships, opportunities or public approval. We want footballers to be authentic, but the moment one of them does something controversial, we demand an apology. Imagine telling someone in the year 2000 that, one day, a footballer could face worldwide outrage for laughing at a meme portraying Mao as a dictator. They would ask if you had completely lost your mind! You don't have to agree with Mbappé. You don't have to like the meme. But surely, we can discuss the historical record without treating the discussion itself as an offence. And consider this: X, formerly Twitter, is blocked in mainland China, and some people use VPNs to access it. The government also imposes extensive restrictions on online speech and political expression. So, when we discuss authoritarianism, are we seriously supposed to pretend these restrictions don't exist? Let me be clear: Chinese people are not their government, and criticising a regime is not the same as attacking an entire nation. Ordinary citizens deserve respect. But governments should also be open to scrutiny, particularly when freedom of expression is involved. Mbappé is a footballer, not a diplomat. He should not have to surrender his personality because powerful institutions are uncomfortable with his reaction. If he genuinely believes he did something wrong, he can apologise. But there is a difference between a sincere apology and one made under enormous public and commercial pressure. You cannot demand personality from footballers and then punish them for showing it. You cannot defend freedom of expression only when you agree with what is being expressed. Mbappé doesn't have to be right about everything for us to recognise a double standard. And you don't have to support him to ask whether this reaction has gone too far. Perhaps the real question isn't why Mbappé laughed. Perhaps it's why a simple reaction to a political meme has made so many powerful people so uncomfortable.”