To be perfectly honest, there was actually some bigotry built into his character, but the left is so honed-in on black votes that they overlooked it. He was stinky because he's a skunk. But he was French and it used to be a stereotype of the "stinky Frenchman". Since it doesn't do them any good to point out prejudice against the French (they're too white and pepe was a super-straight male), they push the "rape" angle.