Just yesterday, a French court upheld a ban on comedian Dieudonné M’bala M’bala, a half Cameroonian comedian who has been accused of anti-Semitism. The comedian also owes a great deal of money to the government in fines for making “anti-Semitic comments.” The UK Telegraph reports,Interior Minister Manuel Valls, who has led the campaign to ban the comedian’s performances, said: ‘We cannot tolerate hatred of others, racism, anti-Semitism or holocaust denial. That is not France. This is a victory for the Republic.’
The decision marks a landmark break with legal precedent in France, where previous attempts to ban Dieudonné from performing foundered against constitutional provisions on free speech.
Victories for the Republic aren’t quite at the level of Austerlitz these days.
What French Free Speech?, January 9, 2015
