PARIS (EJP)--- For the first time since the annual Laugh Against Racism event began in Paris three years ago, participants have pulled out following outside pressure.
The troop L’As de Rire, or The Ace of Laughter, composed of young artists, announced the day before the Monday event that it had withdrawn.
The pullout overshadows an otherwise successful show.
According to Laugh Against Racism organisers, the manager of comedian Jamel Debbouze pressured L’As de Rire to withdraw from the show.
Anne Roumanoff, a participating comedian told EJP, said she was shocked by this decision.
“I’ve never seen this before. Some artists have been pressured out of the show, accusing it of being too Jewish. These people threatened the comedians that there would be consequences if they decided to stay in the show.," she said.
It reflects growing anti-Semitism in France, she said.
Thousands of spectators
5,000 spectators attended this year’s show, organised by anti-racism organisation SOS Racisme and the French Jewish Student Union.
More than a dozen artists participated. Despite the suspicious circumstances surrounding L’As de Rire’s pullout, organizers said they hoped to inspire people to fight racism in France.
Popular artists like Anne Roumanoff, Michel Boujenah, Florence Foresti, Bouder, Raphael Mezrahi, Mouss Diouf, Cartouche and the hip-hop group 113 were among the performers, and a dozen unknown artists, mainly from the suburbs, also appeared.
All but one or two comedians were either Jewish, Arab or black.
“We know this show is not going to change everything, but it’s better than doing nothing,” Roumanoff said.
“In today’s France, comedians have to watch their step. The politically correct attitude makes it impossible to say anything about communities. You have to be as subtle as you can when you talk of Jews, Arabs, Blacks, and so on. … I once wrote a sketch on the issue but avoided actually pronouncing the word Jew or Arab, and made noises instead. The problem was that it got so complicated to follow that no one understood the joke,” she said.
Sketches on racism, immigration, coexistence and stereotypes featured in the show. Artists such as Arab comedian Booder drew on their own experiences.
“I live in a three-room apartment," Booder said on stage "Three-room apartments are great – when you’re three. But you know us, … we’re never three. We have three new kids per semester. But I guess that’s nothing compared to our neighbours from Mali. They had 24 children. I guess my apartment building summarizes pretty well the current situation in our country.”
Racism on the rise
Racism and anti-Semitism have risen in recent years in France, and hate crimes have turned more violent over the past few months, culminating in the kidnapping, torture and murder of Ilan Halimi, a Jew, in February.
“We brought youths from the suburbs to watch the show because we consider that we must encourage these types of events, where people meet and talk, especially in a time where some people and groups, such as the extremist Tribu KA, are trying to divide us,” Ibrahim K. Sorel, head of one of the event’s organizers, “Suburbs of the World,” told EJP.
Television actor Mouss Diouf told EJP that the event was necessary because French were questioning the motive behind Halimi’s murder.
“The fact that many people deny and question the anti-Semitic character of Ilan Halimi’s murder confirms that we have to do this show.”
“There is racism in every community, but I think we can turn things around. If the French were weak-minded enough to give-in to racism, I guess we can get them back out of it.”
Tensions encouraged
Some comedians, like controversial Dieudonne, have been encouraging tensions between communities.
“Dieudonne, who is a very talented and successful comedian, is doing a very dangerous thing,” said Ibrahim Sorel. “While addressing distressed youth, mostly black, he has been implying that the Jewish lobby is responsible for discrimination, that in the past it controlled the slave trade. Saying these things is very dangerous, especially since Dieudonne was one of the first black comedians to become a star.”
“Blaming the Jews is too easy,” added Sorel. He said that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict complicated the situation even more.