Discussing the surge in the popularity of the quenelle – the antisemitic reverse-Nazi salute that he invented – French comedian Dieudonné M'bala M'bala, in August 2013, urged people to "be subversive, slip quenelles, disobey." In an August 2012 Internet post, Dieudonné called on disgruntled soldiers and police to stage a coup d'etat in France and said: "We will back you up. The people will follow you. Stage a coup." During a September 2011 visit to Iran, he told Iran's Sahar TV, "Zionism killed Christ" and added, "We need to convince the Christians to join this great universal, Islamic movement."
Just this week, Dieudonne's shows were banned in several French cities.[1] In the past few years, Dieudonne has had his shows cancelled in Canada, and has been banned from entering Belgium.[2] He has been fined several times for defamation, using insulting language, hate speech and racial discrimination.[3]
Following are excerpts from Dieudonné's discussions of the quenelle:
August 2013
Dieudonné: "This [scarf] is a gift from [Hamas political bureau head] Khaled Mash'al – a personal gift that he gave me when we met in that region. This scarf is from Hamas, the proud fighters of Hamas, who are on the threshold of Hell.
[...]
"I did not think that the quenelle movement would go so far. Not a day goes by without me receiving [a picture of] a quenelle."
Series of still photos of people 'slipping quenelles'
"'Here are some examples...'
"A quenelle up the ass of the system...
"'Here are some more... Take that! As much as you want!'
"A lot of people ask me: Dieudo, what does it mean to 'slip a quenelle'?
"People don't know! Today, I would say that this concept, this magic formula, does not belong to me anymore. It belongs to the revolution, which is coming. Listen... It is right here... It is the path that will guide us to victory: Be subversive, slip quenelles, disobey. Be a pain in the ass of this shitty system. It is a wind that transcends all ethnic, religious, and social boundaries.
"It is a tsunami. The Tsunami of quenelles will sweep away the elites of deception. They are lying to us to such a degree...
[...]
"Everybody is slipping quenelles all over the place. People need it. policemen, for example...
"Images of members of French Armed forces 'slipping the quenelles'
"The policemen are with us. They support the quenelle movement. Look at them. The soldiers...
"We are almost at the point where we will have a coup d'état soon. A lot of people say to me: 'A coup d'état would be great.' Well, it's up to the experts to carry it out. It's up to the army and the policemen, many of whom are angry today. We will back you up. The people will follow you. Stage a coup.
[...]
"Lies can be molded, not the truth. Sign the petition against the LICRA [anti-racism organization], which is the cancerous tumor of the issue. We need to blow up this tumor by legal means, by a petition. By means of this petition... The larger we grow... Imagine, there are already 20,000 of us demanding that [LICRA] be dissolved. That's great. This organization is extremely harmful.
"Thank you very much. So long, and Vive le France!" [...]
September 2011, Iranian Sahar TV
"The values of Islam are reaching the entire world. That is why Zionism has developed Islamophobic rhetoric today. One needs only to watch TV or listen to political speeches to see that the foremost enemy of democracy and freedom is, according to Zionism, Islam.
"That is why many Christians today... After all, Zionism killed Christ! It is Zionism that claimed that Jesus was the son of a whore – that is how they describe Mary – whereas in Islam there is respect... even more than respect – Jesus announces the coming of the Prophet, the Messenger. That is why there is a lot of work to be done.
"Just like we see is happening in Lebanon, for instance, we need to convince the Christians to join this great universal, Islamic movement. Islam is not a boundary – it is the gateway to freedom.
[...]
"In the past few years, an all-out media war has been launched against the Muslim world. Clearly, they want to divide the Christians. Before [the advent of Islam], the Christians had already been stripped of their religion, and the churches had been emptied. Wherever Zionism appears, it immediately tries to strip the country of its moral values. Eventually, along came Islam – a wind of freedom that has come to liberate the peoples."
Interviewer: "[Zionism] is suffocating them..."
Dieudonné: "That's right. That is why more and more people are turning to Islam.
[...]
"Here [in Iran], the rule has two branches – on the one hand, you have the politicians, and on the other, you have the wise men who observe and offer counsel. Unfortunately, this is not the case in France. That is why the war against Islam has become a priority there. I think that there is a consensus about this, at least in France.
[...]
"Israel as a venture is almost over. I do not believe that Israel will survive this decade, so the most hysterical Zionists – the ones who are not open to dialogue – will inevitably have to leave. They will undoubtedly reach France, because the French president is an inveterate Zionist, and the media, as well as most of the State's institutions today, are under Zionist control.
"One gets the sense that Zionism is getting ready to move. I believe that France is a place for them to fall back on – perhaps temporarily – before the U.S. What is certain, however, is that after Israel and the U.S., Paris has become, in my opinion, one of the capitals Zionism.
[...]
"My son is with me here today. He looks around and is impressed to see a proud country standing on its own two feet. What we need is a model. We need to see that there is a life after Zionism."
[...]
Interviewer: "Why do the Zionists insist on committing crimes all over the world?"
Dieudonné: "I think it is a science of deception and profound hatred of humanity."
Interviewer: "But why?"
Dieudonné: "Well, I don't know. I think this is a trial set upon humanity. We will overcome this trial. We will survive Zionism.
[...]
"The time has come to form a united front against Zionism. Muslims must reach out to the Christians, and the Christians – who are now lost – must join Islam. The modern Islam, open to all, was launched by the Islamic Revolution by Imam Khomeini. It provides a very broad, universal perspective, which affects the entire planet, with all its continents. Let us fight injustice. Injustice has a name – Zionism." [...]
