French Cities Ban Comedian Dieudonné Over Nazi-Style ‘Quenelle’ Salute
by JNS.org
JNS.org – Major French cities are banning controversial comedian Dieudonné M’bala M’bala, who has been accused of anti-Semitism in connection with his Nazi-style “quenelle” salute.
The mayors of Marseille, Tours, and Bordeaux banned Dieudonné, who is currently on tour, from performing in their cities, Reutersreported.
The quenelle, described as a “reverse Nazi salute,” was made popular by Dieudonné, who ran for the European Parliament under the “anti-Zionist” party list in 2009. The French government is also considering banning Dieudonné.
“The [quenelle] gesture has gained popularity amongst young people, and reunites extremists from the Islamist camp, the extreme right, and left as well as revolutionaries with one common objective: the fight against the ‘Tel-Aviv-Washington axis’ as well as Jewish power and Zionism,” Simone Rodan-Benzaquen, director of the American Jewish Committee’s Paris office, recently told JNS.org.