European court of human rights rejects appeal by French comic Dieudonne who wished to stage ‘the biggest antisemitic meeting’ since the war

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Europe’s top human rights court has rejected an appeal by the controversial French comic Dieudonne M’Bala M’Bala, saying the right to free expression does not protect antisemitism or Holocaust denial.

Dieudonne, as he is known, finished a December 2008 performance by inviting a prominent Holocaust denier on stage and then having an actor dressed to resemble a concentration camp prisoner offer him a prize.

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He was convicted of hate crime charges by a French court in October 2009 and fined €10,000. He lost repeated appeals, and took his case to the Strasbourg-based European court of human rights.

The court noted Dieudonne’s stated desire to stage “the biggest antisemitic meeting since the last world war” and ruled on Tuesday that the event was not a show but the expression of ideology.