PARIS (EJP)--- Controversial French comic Dieudonne Mbala Mbala was due to arrive to Lebanon on Monday with fellow militants.

The anti-Zionist comic announced on his official web site he was planning to visit Beirut on Monday morning to meet with political leaders and representatives of the “resistance”, apparently referring to Hezbollah.

The comedian, who is aiming to become a candidate for the 2007 French presidential election, has condemned the recent Israeli operations on Hezbollah, saying he believes that Israel has proved to be “barbarian and Nazi-like” when launching the “Qana massacre”.

Militants in Lebanon

Anti-Israeli militants joined Mbala Mbala in his trip to Lebanon, among them Alain Soral, Thierry Meyssan, director of the Voltaire Network association, Mark Robert, who co-ordinates Dieudonne’s campaign and Ahmed Moualek, the leader of an association called ‘the suburb expresses itself’.

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Describing himself as an anti-Zionist militant since 1997, Dieudonne Mbala Mbala has led political campaigns against Israel with several marginal anti-Israeli militant allies within movements and associations such as the Euro-Palestine election list for the European elections in 2004 and the ‘Voltaire Network’ association which considers the media gives too much coverage to anti-Semitic attacks in France.

Throughout the years Dieudonne has also been involved in other campaigns, militating for more minorities on television and in favour of ‘illegal immigrants’ but he definitely focused his political career on Israel and Jewish-related issues.

Once a respected comedian, Dieudonne launched an ongoing campaign both against Israel and Jewish organisations several years ago.

Among his repeated attacks he accused Jews of orchestrating hundreds of years ago the slave trade and of spreading Aids in Africa. His numerous accusations and comments on Jews cost him several trials for anti-Semitism, of which he has won all but one in March 2006.

Outcast comic

The once popular comic, whose partner was the Jewish comic Elie Semoun, is now avoided by the mainstream media which does not wish to echo and publicise his controversial ideas. After a series of declarations and scandals most artists and comics have ceased to support Dieudonne as well.

The Internet and several militant associations remain Dieudonne’s sole communication network to publicise his ideas with several sites such as his official campaign site (dieudo.net), a second official site (tvdieudo.com) and a third ran by supporters (lesogres.org).

Dieudonne also uses his theatre ‘Le theatre de la Main d’Or’ located in the 11th arrondissement of Paris for meetings and he can rely on several associations which try to gather support for his ideas mainly in impoverished suburbs.

This effort is countered by several associations well implanted in suburbs, such as ‘suburbs of the world’, which militate for equality but refuse to do so by confronting communities.