Pretty Yende has expressed her disappointment of how she was treated in Paris by the police, after she was forced to submit to a body search at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.
She has accused French immigration authorities of “outrageous racial discrimination” after being detained, strip-searched and held in a dark room at the airport.
The South African soprano singer, Pretty Yende who stars in a production of Bellini’s La Sonnambula opera, was upon arrival told on Monday that she lacked the relevant documentation to enter France when she landed.
Yende clarified a few reports about what transpired, saying she did have all the documents that were required.
“In the view of many press reports which shared a statement from the police that I, and I quote, ”did not have any documents but my South African passport and needed a visa to enter France”, I’d like to clarify that I DID have all the necessary documents that permit me to move freely and work since 2009. I have an unlimited permesso di soggiorno italiano (Italian residency permit) which is being renewed and a permesso di soggiorno improvvisorio (temporary residence), which I presented to the police at the border control and posting right now. I did NOT need a visa to enter or work in any of the European countries, including France.”
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Police Brutality
She also took to instagram to talk about how police brutality is real for someone like her. In a post she shared on Instagram she wrote,
“Police brutality is real for someone who look like me. I’ve always read about it on the news and most of my brothers and sister end up being tortured and some fatal cases make headlines and dead bodies suddenly appear with made up stories.”
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The South African embassy in France said it was aware of the incident and had raised it with the French authorities.
“Notwithstanding these unfortunate events, we are pleased that Ms.Yende is continuing with her scheduled performances in Paris,” said Lihle Mancoba, a spokeswoman for the embassy.



