Investigation into anti-Semitic remarks by controversial French comedian at show in Belgium
The Belgian judicial system on Thursday launched an investigation into a show recently performed by controversial French comedian Dieudonne, which is alleged to have contravened legislation banning the incitement of racial hatred and Holocaust denial.
According to Belgian newspaper Le Soir, police present at the event on 14 March in Herstal, near Liege, saw Dieudonne deliver anti-Semitic sentiments to the applause of "a largely young immigrant crowd."
State Prosecutor of Liege Danielle Reynders handed over video evidence to the police to aid the investigation, which is also being supported by the Centre for Equal Opportunities (CECLR).
This is the latest in a series of anti-Semitic allegations levelled at Dieudonne in recent years.
Dieudonne M'Bala M'Bala, who is originally from Cameroon, has been repeatedly condemned in the past in France for racial insults following remarks on the Holocaust and the Jews.
Last year he was sentenced by the Court of Appeal of Paris to a 10,000 euro fine for racist remarks made at a show where he had invited on stage Holocaust denier Robert Faurisson.
In 2008 he was sentenced to have assimilated the memory of the Holocaust to a "memorial pornography" and in 2004 for comparing the "Jews" to "slavers".
In 2009 he stood for election to the European Parliament for a controversial ‘Anti-Zionist party.’
The political humourist allegedly appeared to implicate Christians and Muslims in his polemic, however his systemic targeting of such high-profile Jewish victims as Dominique Strauss Kahn and Bernard-Henry Levy suggested evidence of an inherently anti-Semitic slant to the show.
Photographic evidence from the evening further cements this as it shows a young audience member responding to the material with a Nazi salute.
EJP