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Dieudonne supporters take control of TV set

Updated: 11/Oct/2005 17:19

French comedian Dieudonne (C), who was accused of racism for appearing on television dressed as an Orthodox Jew and giving the Nazi salute leaves Paris justice court 07 September 2005, after an appeal court Wednesday confirmed his acquittal.

Photo: AFP

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The French black comic, who was recently cleared from anti-Semitism charges, is heading a new campaign against a TV host.
In a new episode of the Dieudonne M’Bala M’Bala case, the controversial comic has launched a campaign against popular TV host and producer Marc-Olivier Fogiel, who has been accused for race charges.

On 29 September, Fogiel and the TV station France 3 were declared guilty of racial insults and the comic is now demanding the host’s resignation.

Dieudonne supporters burst into the set of Fogiel’s talk show ‘We can’t be appreciated by everyone’, on Sunday night twenty minutes before its live broadcasting.

Dieudonne: would it make you laugh if somebody did a sketch on black people’s smell?

SMS broadcasted during a live French TV show

The programme had to be aired from a side room with no audience. France 3 is considering pressing charges after its studio was invaded. Culture minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres condemned the event.

Controversial comic

This incident is the last of a long series of affairs involving Dieudonne, a comic that has turned controversial three years ago, launching several attacks against all religions and against Judaism in particular.

One of Dieudonne’s most prominent scandals occurred in December 2003 on the same TV set his supporters invaded on Sunday. The comic appeared in Fogiel’s show disguised as an orthodox Jew dressed with swastikas and performing a Nazi salute while saying “Isra-Heil”.

Dieudonne is using the sensitivity of a part of the Black community for his own interest

Benjamin Abtan, president of the Jewish student union of France

Following that sketch, Fogiel and his collaborators diffused several viewers’ SMS on the screen and a fake SMS in reaction to Dieudonne’s act saying: “Dieudonne: would it make you laugh if somebody did a sketch on black people’s smell?”.

Dieudonne and Fogiel were both sued following this affair. Dieudonne was cleared twice of anti-Semitism charges, on first instance and after an appeal. Fogiel, who was sued by the comic, was convicted as well as French national television director Marc Tessier for racial insult. French national television and the host appealed the decision but Dieudonne demands Fogiel’s immediate resignation.

Own interests

“It’s not right that I should be banned from the screen although I was cleared from anti-Semitism while Fogiel keeps on presenting his show although he was declared guilty of racism.” Dieudonne said on Monday on the main French news channel LCI.

It’s not right that I should be banned from the screen although I was cleared from anti-Semitism

Dieudonne

The comic accuses the media of ignoring racism and giving too much importance to anti-Semitism.

Jewish student union of France (UEJF) president Benjamin Abtan declared on Monday “Dieudonne is using the sensitivity of a part of the Black community for his own interest.” Abtan considers that the time has come to stop comparing sufferings and to install dialogue between memories in France.

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