2023-09-08 21:27:00
The singer, anti-vax, was to perform with the comedian convicted of inciting hatred at the Zénith in Paris on September 14.
By BL with AFP Francis Lalanne and Dieudonné were to perform on September 14 at the Zénith in Paris for their new show The Crazy Cage. © RICCARDO MILANI / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP Published on 09/08/2023 at 9:27 p.m.
The singer, openly anti-vax, counterattacks. Friday, Francis Lalanne challenged the ban on his show with Dieudonné before the Paris administrative court. “If the passage disturbs the prefect of police, I will remove it and I will speak of the butterflies and the blue flowers”, he declared in particular. The controversial 57-year-old comedian, who has been convicted of incitement to hatred and anti-Semitism, was however absent from the hearing and was not represented by his lawyer.
Francis Lalanne and Dieudonné were to perform on September 14 at the Zénith in Paris for their new show The Crazy Cage. The prefect of police Laurent Nuñez banned the performance on Wednesday, in particular for “serious risks […] serious disturbances to public order” and “fear that Mr. Dieudonné M’bala M’bala would distance himself from the script and make reprehensible remarks”.
At the hearing, Francis Lalanne’s lawyer recalled that the script for the show had been sent to the prefect during the summer. “He replied that passages from the script bothered him,” said Me Emmanuel Ludot, adding that these passages were then withdrawn.
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“Very high risk of insult and call for discrimination”
“Dieudonné is an artist of improvisation”, retorted the representative of the police headquarters, before reading an extract from the final script which thanks in particular Stéphane Blet, essayist “anti-Semitic and condemned for provocation to hatred and racial slur”, died in January 2022.
“I was asked twice to make changes, which seems unacceptable to me in the land of freedoms”, carried away the singer with long tied hair and black leather boots, dressed in wide trousers and a suit jacket.
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While the representative of the police headquarters mentions another passage, which “presents a very high risk of insult and call for discrimination against LGBT +”, the singer’s lawyer denounces “latent censorship”.
Me Ludot also accused the prefect of police and the manager of the Zénith of “collusion” to prevent the show from taking place. The summary judge will deliver her decision on Monday.
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