Anti-Semitic French Comedian Dieudonne M’bala M’bala Drops Tour
Image by getty images
Amid an investigation into his finances and bans on his shows because of anti-Semitic content, French comedian Dieudonne M’bala M’bala said he would abandon his nationwide tour.
The comedian made the announcement Saturday at a news conference in which Dieudonne, whose mother was born in Cameroon, appeared dressed in traditional West African garb.
“Today, a page is turned and I am switching to other things,” Dieudonne said in reference to his new show, “The Wall,” which he was supposed to take on tour beginning last Thursday but which ground to a halt after France’s highest court upheld a ban on the show that several municipalities have imposed.
His announcement also follows reports that French authorities suspect that he is hiding revenues to avoid paying $89,000 in fines that have been imposed on him for inciting racial hatred against Jews – an offense of which he has been convicted seven times. Legally speaking, Dieudonne is penniless and unable to pay the debts, yet his shows at the Main D’Or theatre in Paris are sold out, RTL reported.
French authorities reportedly suspect that he colluded with associates to give the impression of bankruptcy. In addition, French Interior Minister Manuel Valls was filmed saying on Jan. 7 that Dieudonne “was financed by Iran, after all.”
Dieudonne told reporters that: “As we are living in a state with laws, of course one needs to conform to the law.” He spoke in a serious tone and without the ironic pomp and mumblings that have become his trademark in past appearances and false expressions of regret for spreading anti-Semitic ideas.
“In my work as a humorist I have tried to push the boundaries of the public debate and of laughter, and the judiciary has expressed its position on this,” he said in reference to a ruling on Jan. 9 by France’s highest court which banned him from performing in the western city of Nantes. “I have angered many people and I will continue to do so, through laughter.”
Despite his seven convictions for inciting racial hatred against Jews, Dieudonne said: “Clearly, I am not a Nazi, I’m not an anti-Semite.”
The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Dive In
-
Fast Forward Halal restaurant opening in Congress is like ‘Muslim conquest of Jerusalem,’ says GOP congressman
-
Fast Forward Germany formally classifies far-right AfD party as extremist, in blow to Nazi-linked populist movement
-
Fast Forward Trump taps shock jock Sid Rosenberg and a Haredi newspaper publisher for Holocaust Memorial Council
-
Fast Forward Jill Sobule, pop star who also composed songs for a new ‘Yentl,’ dies at 66
Most Popular
- 1
Fast Forward Why the Antisemitism Awareness Act now has a religious liberty clause to protect ‘Jews killed Jesus’ statements
- 2
Culture Trump wants to honor Hannah Arendt in a ‘Garden of American Heroes.’ Is this a joke?
- 3
News School Israel trip turns ‘terrifying’ for LA students attacked by Israeli teens
- 4
Fast Forward The invitation said, ‘No Jews.’ The response from campus officials, at least, was real.
In Case You Missed It
-
Fast Forward Halal restaurant opening in Congress is like ‘Muslim conquest of Jerusalem,’ says GOP congressman
-
Fast Forward Germany formally classifies far-right AfD party as extremist, in blow to Nazi-linked populist movement
-
Fast Forward Trump taps shock jock Sid Rosenberg and a Haredi newspaper publisher for Holocaust Memorial Council
-
Music Jill Sobule was as much a Jewish icon as a queer one
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
Republish This Story
Please read before republishing
We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:
- Credit the Forward
- Retain our pixel
- Preserve our canonical link in Google search
- Add a noindex tag in Google search
See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.
To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.