By Andrew Warshaw
February 4 – The comedian who invented the infamous Nazi-style gesture that led to former French international Nicolas Anelka being charged by English football authorities has been barred from entering Britain.
Dieudonne M’bala M’bala, who insists his so-called quenelle gesture is an anti-establishment symbol rather than anti-semitic, wanted to come to London and perform his show to “prove to everybody” that he is “by no means anti-Jewish, or racist in any way”.
But Dieudonne, who argues his act covers a range of minority groups, has been barred by Britain’s Home Office.
Anelka, 34, has been charged by the English for copying his friend and compatriot by performing the reverse Nazi salute as a goal celebration. He faces a minimum five-match ban if found guilty of an “abusive” sign but has denied the charge and requested a personal hearing.
Dieudonne has reportedly been convicted six times for inciting racial hatred and several of his shows were banned in France as a potential risk to public order. He subsequently rewrote the shows, dropping much of the material deemed offensive, and his fans accused the French government of preventing free speech.
A spokeswoman for Britain’s Home Office was quoted as saying: “We can confirm that Mr Dieudonne is subject to an exclusion order. The Home Secretary will seek to exclude an individual from the UK if she considers that there are public policy or public security reasons to do so.”
Anelka has insisted that he is “neither anti-Semitic nor racist” and his club, West Bromwich Albion, say they will continue to select the former Arsenal and Real Madrid player until the hearing but has asked him not to repeat the celebration.
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