Dieudonné: A "racist?" comedian against the French government

Footballer Nicolas Anelka

[Edit 2016 : for reasons I won't highlight in this article, his anti-semitism is extremely clear and has been slowly growing, he has ended up believing his jokes and stereotypes and his "humour" is no longer "second-degré". Looking back on his shows it becomes interesting to see at which point exactly this occurred. In any case this article still remains a valid report into the role of the media and the government in the "affaire Dieudonné]

The “quenelle” has made an appearance in the French news over the last few weeks, and not as typical croquette from Lyon. A few weeks ago, after scoring a goal for West Brom, footballer Nicolas Anelka celebrated by making the “quenelle” gesture, which consists of an extended downwards arm with the other hand touching the opposite shoulder[1]. The BBC website headline was “Anelka accused of ‘disgusting’ celebration” a celebration that he carried out in support of his friend, the French comedian Dieudonné M’bala M’bala.[2]

Before I begin, Dieudonné's sympathies with Iranian government or more strikingly with Holocaust denier Faurisson are a sign that his ideology is most certainly extreme and I would like to make it clear that I do not support this aspect of his discourse. Just because I believe some of his points to be valid (notably about the witch hunt against him) does not mean I agree with his whole discourse. Due to the delicate nature of the subject matter discussed, I wish to make my position absolutely clear. [3]Dieudonné’s trademark gesture, the “quenelle” is described by French Interior Minister, Manuel Valls as “anti-Semitic”, who also adds that “Dieudonné’s shows no longer belong to the creative dimension but rather contribute to an increase in the risk of public disorder”.[4] He has announced that he will try to ban Dieudonné from holding public gatherings, in other words, try to ban his shows. Valls has obtained the support from the Jewish community in France, including the LICRA (International League Against Racism and Anti-Semitism) and the CRIF (Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France), whose president is Roger Cuikerman, who both insist in the link between the “quenelle” and the Nazi salute. Cuikerman says “it is the opposite of the Nazi salute”, to which Dieudonné duly replies “It is indeed that, the opposite” indicating what he believes to be his fight, which is against anti-semitism amongst other things."

Dieudonné and his infamous "quenelle"

Valls succeeded in banning Dieudonné’s first show of 2014, after the regional court overturned the government order to ban the show. Valls then called for the Conseil d’État to reinforce the ban, reaching a decision in a record time of 3 hours, without leaving time for Dieudonné’s lawyers to get to Paris from Nantes, and banning his show minutes before it was planned to start.[5] Valls said the “Republic has won” whilst Dieudonné asked his fans to “go home peacefully singing the Marseillaise, that the government is looking for physical aggression”. The removal of freedom of speech brings to mind a famous Voltaire quote “ I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”. Whilst people might not agree with Dieudonné’s ideology, more people will turn against the government in support of his right to freedom of speech, and since Dieudonné preaches amongst other things an anti-system ideology, these measures taken by the government are only more likely to bring more people to his cause.

Dieudonné released several video replies to these accusations and has even managed to obtain 120,000 signatures in a petition for the dissolution of the LICRA, representative of his persuasive discourse and large number of fans. In these videos he also aims to provide a definition of the “quenelle”. For Dieudonné the meaning is vast and not tied to one particular thing. It can be best summarised as “anti-système” and as a gesture of courage, a symbol of not just lying down and accepting. He uses a poignant image of a terminally ill cancer patient, a teenager whose request was to meet Dieudonné and who, on stage with him, made the “quenelle” gesture. Dieudonné says that there could be no better way to describe this gesture of not giving up, of fighting. He supports his followers and anyone who performs the “quenelle”: if you are persecuted or in court for performing the “quenelle”, he will provide free legal support from the lawyers he himself has for the accusations he is faced with. Equally he states that he will help out economically anyone who loses their job for performing the“quenelle”. In Dieudonné’s words, he is promoting a peaceful revolution against the capitalist system, through the principle of civil disobedience.

[6]What’s worrying about the “quenelle” affair is not only the questions raised by Valls, about anti-Semitism, but also the media’s role. Number one sports newspaper in Spain, Marca, had the following headline for an article regarding Anelka’s celebration: “Anelka was showing his support for an anti-semitic humorist” and then within the article itself correct itself only marginally to “support for a humorist who makes an anti-semitic gesture”[7]. Equally in French newspaper Le Monde, the headline“the Quenelle, how an anti-semitic gesture has become a symbol”[8]. What the defamatory headlines in the media around the world shows is threefold: first of all the influence of the French government over national newspapers and media and secondly the poor journalistic standards in other countries, with so-called journalists happy to spread slanderous comments about Dieudonné. With a little bit of research it is clear that at the very least the situation is not as clear cut as they put it.

Equally, in Spanish newspaper El Mundo, the very first line of an article regarding Valls and Dieudonné says “A known sympathizer of the Front National”, as if this were the most important piece of information the reader should be aware of[9]. Is this manipulation of information poor journalism or is it something bigger? It might just be that the fear that this movement is causing is one that governments around the world are taking note of and are quick to want to stifle. Nonetheless, when questioning Dieudonné’s ideology, one of the most striking facts one is faced with is that Jean Marie Le Pen, ex-leader of the French extreme right party the Front National, is the godfather of one of Dieudonné’s daughters. Whilst for some this might just confirm their opinion that Dieudonné is a racist, his explanation is far more indicative of the kind of person he is. He says that Le Pen represents the other end of the spectrum to him, and that it is fascinating to hear the most radical views in politics or on any topic, especially if they are the opposite to your own. It is important to remember that Le Pen himself has not escaped mockery either in Dieudonné’s previous sketches. Nevertheless, his friendship with controversial figure such as Le Pen, or stating that he liked Pétain as PM (clearly as provocation but still controversial) does little to help protect or to enhance his image. [10]

So this leaves us with the question: is Dieudonné really anti-Semitic or is it a label given to him by the government and media to get rid of a problem for their institution?[Update: since 2014 he has consistently made comments that highlight his antisemitism and put a question mark over his past works, the role of the media in 2014 is still interesting to look at]. Dieudonné is very clearly an anti-Zionist, without a doubt this can be said to be his primary ideology within that of anti-system . He believes that the historical suffering experienced by the Jews has been strongly prioritised in comparison with other aspects such as the slave trade[11]. Dieudonné is extremely critical of religion in all forms but does that mean that his jokes about Jews or Israel make him an anti-Semitic? His jokes are often what one can consider to be racist or at the very least offensive, but no religion is left out, Christianity and Islam are also the focus of some of his sketches. When does vulgarity and bad taste become racism though. Indeed, when hearing all these accusations against Dieudonné, in order to truly understand what is going on, it is important to take a step back from Dieudonné’s more directly political messages and look back at his work as a comedian.

Not being a fan of vulgar humour nor of comedians with bad taste, I was suspicious, and rightly so. Dieudonné uses a very dark humour, he takes all the negative things from society and exaggerates them, making them extremely shocking but at the time managing to make them funny. Dieudonné is a comedian who pushes the boundaries of humour, with no respect for those boundaries. It must be said though, that although he does sometimes go too far, it is not only in one direction, it is against the system, whether that be a government, an organisation, a race, a nation, no one escapes from his dark humour criticism.

French rap group 'Sniper'

[12]The government in France has a recent history with regards to attacking the arts and the freedom of expression when Sarkozy attacked French rap group Sniper for texts inciting violence and hate, texts that criticised Sarkozy and the French government. What the French government appear to fail to understand is that the arts are the voice of the people, and they are not such much enticing hate, but rather portraying it through their art. In Dieudonné’s case it appears to be heading towards the next step, which is not just giving the people a voice, but also trying to act on it. It remains unclear what path Dieudonné wants to take politically, criticising the system and its leaders is not easy, but is achievable, however Dieudonné has not presented a solution as such yet and maybe he might not want to. For the French government to give such importance to this topic of “la quenelle” and Dieudonné shows not only their fear but also might be a manner of avoiding having to address other areas of politics, where they might not be achieving as much as the French people hoped for.

The problem for Dieudonné and the “quenelle” arises when less intelligent and uninformed racists join in his ranks, putting at risk the success of this gesture. Does the government believe that if they call it an anti-Semitic gesture enough times it will make it one? It definitely seems to be the case, as the gesture has been popularised over the last few weeks due to media attention and celebrities performing it, so has the base of people aware of it grown. Recently, two soldiers photographed themselves in front of a synagogue performing the “quenelle”[13]. At first sight, this seems like true racists have take the symbol and given it a racist meaning. Their defence is that their job involves protecting that synagogue amongst other things and they assure that they are not racist. Even if this is the truth, it is extremely insensitive and whilst the quenelle might not have been created for any racist reason acts like this one give it a racist symbolism represent a danger to the true nature of Dieudonné’s movement given that racist and anti-Semitic movements can take up the “quenelle” as their own symbol. The “quenelle” has been Dieudonné’s trademark symbol but it has now left his hands and as he says “is now in the hands of the people”. [Edit 2016: Dieudonné, clearly believing his own joke, and sensing that his fanbase was increasingly racist, might have indirectly endorsed such anti-semitic behaviour, the quenelle however, was clearly not originally anti-semitic]

So we will wait and see what the FA’s reaction will be, but most probably, due to their fear of racism, they will not understand the truth behind the gesture and will take it as a racist gesture. Dieudonné has said, “we have touched the roots of the teeth of the politicians, they are trembling” and indeed, with this gesture, Dieudonné has managed to reach out to more people to spread his anti-system ideology. The French people have even paid for, in donations, the 50,000 EUROS that he has been fined by the French courts. Dieudonné though does at times seem to be a slightly obsessed man, almost to the point of believing Israel to be behind all the woes in France. He is a target of the government and of the media, but he has in the past responded personally to insults with just as intolerable insults, a position that is not likely no help his cause. At least he is slightly aware of his impact as a public figure and has launched an appeal for tranquillity and peaceful protest, condemning violence.