Dieudonne M’Bala M’Bala had claimed his right to free expression was denied when a French court convicted him of a hate crime and fined him 10,000 euros ($10,700) in October 2009.
Advertisement
During a performance Dieudonné M’Bala M’Bala, who is known for his politically-charged performances, carried out a number of actions on stage that were deemed by the court to be anti-Semitic.
The seven judges of the court noted Dieudonne’s stated desire to stage “the biggest anti-Semitic meeting since the last World War” and ruled that the show was disguised as an artistic production but was in act as risky as a head-on and sudden attack and provided a platform for an ideology which ran counter to the values of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Dieudonne has fallen foul of the law on many occasions since the one in question, with verdicts in further hate speech trials pending and moves afoot to bar him from a Paris theater that has been his main base in recent years. He lamented in 2013 in that a outstanding Jewish journalist didn’t die in “the gas chambers”.
The comedian himself was wearing a pair of striped pyjamas like the clothing worn by concentration camp inmates, complete with a stitched-on yellow star bearing the word Jew, the rights court said in a statement.
The actor then presented Faurisson with a three-branched candle stick with apples stuck on each branch – a prize for “unfrequentability and insolence”. The court determined [Human Rights Europe report] “that human rights law does not protect negationist and anti-Semitic performances”, finding the application inadmissible.
Advertisement
In reaction to this the court said that M’Bala M’Bala’s actions were “incompatible with the letter and spirit of the Convention”.
