French Soccer Star Nicolas Anelka Makes ‘Anti-Semitic’ Quenelle Gesture After Goal
Controversial Salute: Nicolas Anelka, center, celebrates his goal. He later flashed the ?quenelle,? a gesture reminiscent of the Nazi salute. Image by getty images
A French soccer star celebrated a goal Saturday by flashing the so-called quenelle salute popularized by comedian Dieudonne Mbala-Mbala, who has been accused of anti-Semitism.
Nicolas Anelka made the controversial gesture after scoring the first of two goals for his West Bromwich Albion team against West Ham United in England’s Barclays Premier League.
Anelka, a former star for Chelsea who has been photographed with Mbala-Mbala, said he was responding to the French government’s consideration of banning the comedian for stoking hatred.
West Brom said it was not intended as an anti-Semitic act, while Anelka tweeted: “This gesture was a special dedication to my friend Dieudonne,” according to the BBC
French Sports Minister Valerie Fourneyron criticised Anelka on Twitter. She wrote : “Anelka’s gesture is a shocking provocation, disgusting.”
Named after the word for a pastry, the quenelle has stoked serious controversy in France since first being used by Mbala Mbala in 2005.
Roger Cukierman, head of the CRIF umbrella group of Jewish organizations, described the quenelle as a “Nazi salute in reverse” in a complaint made to French President Francois Hollande.
Mbala-Mbala has countered by threatening to sue prominent Jewish critics.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!
