Nazi hunters irked by French comic’s remarks
6 Jan 2014 3:56 AM IST
France’s Interior Minister Manuel Valls is training his sights on Dieudonne, whose trademark gesture is viewed as being Nazi-inspired, and is examining options to try to legally block performances by a man he brands a ‘little trader of hate’.
On Friday, Valls vowed to ensure that Dieudonne, 47, would have to pay the 65,000 euros ($88,500) he has run up in fines. Since 2000, Dieudonne has been fined seven times for defamation, using insulting language, hate speech and racial discrimination. Valls said Dieudonne would be ‘forced to pay’ and that ‘nobody is above the law’.
Dieudonne’s inverted down-arm salute, seen as Nazi-style, shot into the limelight again this week after his friend, French football striker Nicolas Anelka, used it to celebrate a goal in Britain.
The comic insists the gesture is not anti-Jewish and merely reflects his anti-establishment views. But the on-field sign sparked a media storm and Anelka agreed not to repeat it.
On Friday, Valls vowed to ensure that Dieudonne, 47, would have to pay the 65,000 euros ($88,500) he has run up in fines. Since 2000, Dieudonne has been fined seven times for defamation, using insulting language, hate speech and racial discrimination. Valls said Dieudonne would be ‘forced to pay’ and that ‘nobody is above the law’.
Dieudonne’s inverted down-arm salute, seen as Nazi-style, shot into the limelight again this week after his friend, French football striker Nicolas Anelka, used it to celebrate a goal in Britain.
The comic insists the gesture is not anti-Jewish and merely reflects his anti-establishment views. But the on-field sign sparked a media storm and Anelka agreed not to repeat it.
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