Dieudonne’ fined for “anti-Semitic” parody of song by “holocaust survivor”

A French court closed a year long case last week against a provocative French comedian and political activist. Dieudonné M’bala M’bala, who goes simply by Dieudonne, was ordered to pay 130,000 euros (approx. $150,000) in compensation to the family of Jewish singer and French Holocaust survivor, Barbara, for a parody of her song “L’Aigle Noir” (The Black Eagle) (Dieudonné’s parody was titled “The Black Rat.”) Barbara, born Monique Serf, passed away in 1997.

According to the Times of Israel, last July, the High Court of Paris ruled in favor of Barbara’s estate, led by Bernard Serf, the singer’s nephew, who had sued Dieudonné , “accusing him of using anti-Semitic imagery to ‘humiliate’ the late singer.” In “The Black Eagle,” Barbara discusses some of the darkest moments from her past, including the incestuous abuse she suffered as a child. Dieudonné’s parody mocked the singer, describing her as “crazy” and “senile.” 

Barbara demanded that the parody video be immediately removed from the Internet and that financial reparations be made. Dieudonné was initially fined 50,000 euros and another 1,300 for each day the video remained online. But in July the comedian appealed, “not only claiming his song was a legitimate parody, but simultaneously delaying the removal of the video.” The final figure of 130,000 is a product of this year long delay.

Dieudonné, a highly divisive figure in French society, is no stranger to accusations of anti-semitism, both for his controversial statements and for his style of comedy. TheTimes of Israel reports:

Dieudonne has been the subject of multiple police investigations and executive bans against his shows in France for their anti-Semitic content. He has more than 10 convictions for inciting racial hatred against Jews.

A few days after the Charlie Hebdo attack, Dieudonné posted on his Facebook page that he felt like “Charlie Coulibaly,” blending the motto of solidarity, “Je suis Charlie,” with the name of the gunman who held hostages at a kosher supermarket a day after the Hebdo attacks. According to the New York Times, Dieudonné’s post resulted in a two month suspended jail sentence for his condoning of terrorism. Dieudonné is also infamous for inventing the “quenelle” gesture, a reverse version of the Nazi salute.

Dieudonné began his comedic career with childhood friend, Jewish comedian and actor Elie Semoun. His fans uphold the comedian for his anti-establishment message and his defense of freedom of expression.