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Dieudonné M'bala M'bala
French comedian, actor and political activist (born 1966) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Dieudonné M'bala M'bala (French pronunciation: [djødɔne ɛmbala ɛmbala]; born 11 February 1966), generally known by his stage name Dieudo, is a French comedian, actor and political activist. He has been convicted for hate speech,[1] advocating terrorism,[2] and slander[3] in Belgium, France and Switzerland.
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Diewudo M'bala M'bala | |
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![]() Dieudonné in 2009 | |
Born | (1966-02-11) 11 February 1966 (age 58) |
Nationality | French |
Other names | Dieudo |
Occupation(s) | Comedian, actor, activist |
Spouse | Noémie Montagne |
Children | 5 |
Website | www |
Dieudonné initially achieved success working with comedian Élie Semoun, humorously exploiting racial stereotypes. He was a candidate in the 1997 and 2001 legislative elections in Champagny-en-Vanoise against the National Front.[4][5] In 2003, Dieudonné performed a sketch on a TV show about an Israeli settler whom he depicted as a Nazi. Some critics argued that he had "crossed the limits of antisemitism" and several organizations sued him for incitement to racial hatred. Dieudonné refused to apologize and denounced Zionism.[6]
In 2007, Dieudonné approached Jean-Marie Le Pen, leader of the National Front political party that he had fought earlier, and the men became political allies and friends.[7] Holocaust denier Robert Faurisson appeared in one of his shows in 2008.[8][9] Dieudonné described Holocaust remembrance as "memorial pornography".[10] Dieudonné has been convicted in court eight times on antisemitism charges.[11] Dieudonné subsequently found himself regularly banned from mainstream media, and many of his shows were cancelled by local authorities.[8][12][13][14][15][16] Active on the internet and in his Paris theater, Dieudonné has continued to have a following.[17] His quenelle signature gesture became notorious in 2013, particularly after footballer Nicolas Anelka used the gesture during a match in December 2013.
In 2013, after Dieudonné was recorded during a performance mocking a Jewish journalist, suggesting it was a pity that he was not sent to the gas chambers,[18] Interior Minister Manuel Valls stated that Dieudonné was "no longer a comedian" but was rather an "anti-Semite and racist" and that he would seek to ban all Dieudonné's public gatherings as a public safety risk.[19] His shows have been banned in several French cities. On 20 January 2017, the court of appeal of Liège confirmed a first instance sentence of two months of jail time and a €9,000 fine for Dieudonné's anti-Semitic remarks in a performance in Herstal on 14 March 2012.[20]
Dieudonné has also been known to associate with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of Iran from 2005 to 2013, who has himself been accused of describing the Holocaust as a myth.[21] On 25 February 2015, Ahmadinejad tweeted "Visiting an old friend, a great artist."[22] The tweet included photographs of himself and Dieudonné, arms around each other, smiling. The two also met in 2009 during a visit by Dieudonné to Iran where they reportedly discussed their shared anti-Zionist views.[23]