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Amid Speech Crackdown, French Comedian Found Guilty for Facebook Post
Dieudonné was one of dozens arrested in the wake of Charlie Hebdo attack
Mar 18, 2015
The controversial french comedian Dieudonne on Tuesday was found guilty of "condoning terrorism" in a satirical post made to his Facebook page, which authorities said expressed sympathy for terrorists associated with the January 7 attack on Charlie Hebdo magazine.
The Paris court sentenced Dieudonne M'bala M'bala to a suspended sentence of two months in jail.
Dieudonne was one of dozens arrested in the wake of the attack as part of a swift crackdown by the French government on "hate speech, anti-Semitism and glorifying terrorism."
The infamous comedian was taken into custody for writing: "Tonight, as far as I'm concerned, I feel like Charlie Coulibaly"--merging the 'free speech' rallying cry "Je suis Charlie and Amedy Coulibaly, the gunman who killed four hostages at a kosher market in a related attack.
AFP reports that during the trial the prosecutor charged Dieudonne with presenting "in a favorable light the acts committed by Amedy Coulibaly." However, Dieudonne argued that he "condemned the attacks without any restraint and without any ambiguity."
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Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
The controversial french comedian Dieudonne on Tuesday was found guilty of "condoning terrorism" in a satirical post made to his Facebook page, which authorities said expressed sympathy for terrorists associated with the January 7 attack on Charlie Hebdo magazine.
The Paris court sentenced Dieudonne M'bala M'bala to a suspended sentence of two months in jail.
Dieudonne was one of dozens arrested in the wake of the attack as part of a swift crackdown by the French government on "hate speech, anti-Semitism and glorifying terrorism."
The infamous comedian was taken into custody for writing: "Tonight, as far as I'm concerned, I feel like Charlie Coulibaly"--merging the 'free speech' rallying cry "Je suis Charlie and Amedy Coulibaly, the gunman who killed four hostages at a kosher market in a related attack.
AFP reports that during the trial the prosecutor charged Dieudonne with presenting "in a favorable light the acts committed by Amedy Coulibaly." However, Dieudonne argued that he "condemned the attacks without any restraint and without any ambiguity."
Lauren McCauley
Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
The controversial french comedian Dieudonne on Tuesday was found guilty of "condoning terrorism" in a satirical post made to his Facebook page, which authorities said expressed sympathy for terrorists associated with the January 7 attack on Charlie Hebdo magazine.
The Paris court sentenced Dieudonne M'bala M'bala to a suspended sentence of two months in jail.
Dieudonne was one of dozens arrested in the wake of the attack as part of a swift crackdown by the French government on "hate speech, anti-Semitism and glorifying terrorism."
The infamous comedian was taken into custody for writing: "Tonight, as far as I'm concerned, I feel like Charlie Coulibaly"--merging the 'free speech' rallying cry "Je suis Charlie and Amedy Coulibaly, the gunman who killed four hostages at a kosher market in a related attack.
AFP reports that during the trial the prosecutor charged Dieudonne with presenting "in a favorable light the acts committed by Amedy Coulibaly." However, Dieudonne argued that he "condemned the attacks without any restraint and without any ambiguity."
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