rench comedian has been found guilty and given a two-month suspended sentence for condoning terrorism after a comment suggesting he sympathised with one of the jihadists who attacked Paris.
Dieudonné M’bala M’bala was arrested on 14 January after writing “I feel like Charlie Coulibaly” on Facebook, a mix of the slogan “Je suis Charlie” that became a global rallying cry against extremism and Amedy Coulibaly, one of the assailants who killed a policewoman and four Jews.
French dissenters jailed after crackdown on speech that glorifies terrorism
Read more
His arrest was one of dozens of cases opened for “condoning terrorism” or “making threats to carry out terrorist acts” after the attackers killed 17 people in the 7-9 January shooting spree that also targeted the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
The comedian is a controversial figure who has often made headlines, most notably with his trademark “quenelle” hand gesture that looks like an inverted Nazi salute, but which he insists is merely anti-establishment.
But his arrest – and that of other people, some of whom were sent straight to jail for one to four years – raised questions about free speech in France.
The prosecutor had called for a fine of €30,000 ($31,000) which if he fails to pay up could turn into a prison sentence.
During the trial, prosecutor Annabelle Philippe said Dieudonné had presented “in a favourable light the acts committed by Amedy Coulibaly”.
But Dieudonné said he “condemned the attacks without any restraint and without any ambiguity”.