The controversy surrounding the nature of Dieudonné’s speech exposes once more the challenges of acknowledging and defining Anti-Semitism in its contemporary form.

When can we consider that Dieudonné is making Anti-Semitic statements? Is it merely a matter of a few reprehensible comments, or is each performance an expression of Anti-Semitic ideology? Is the fact that he targets only Zionist Jews enough to spare him from all condemnations?

In order to avoid linguistic traps, let us try to define the ideas that have characterized Anti-Semitism throughout time.

Historically, anti-Jewish bias has always fed two themes: the idea of the treacherous Jew who betrays, lies, or conspires; and the idea of the dangerous Jew who is an enemy of mankind, who is diabolical, inhuman, and immoral.

When juxtaposing these two ideas, you could summarize the Anti-Semitic dogma with the following formula: “Jews lie in order to rule over other people; they are immoral and represent a danger to mankind.”
This is exactly the idea that Dieudonné develops with his audience, with one difference: the explicit target is not the “Jew” but the “Zionist.”

This study aims to highlight the main ideas channeled by Dieudonné, using only the content of performances or in videos uploaded on the Internet. (I)

As an example, we have compared his statements to those made by Hitler in his book Mein Kampf. (II)

I- Dieudonné’s message in six points

• 1 – Zionism controls France and wants to control the world
• 2 – Zionists succeeded through slyness, manipulation and lies, such as the Holocaust or Anti-Semitism
• 3 – Zionists have infiltrated and looted Western societies and emptied them from Christian moral values; instead, they established the unjust and selfish society in which we live
• 4 – Zionism divides people in order to impose its power. It is a disease, a cancer on our societies, and a test for humankind—one that we should prevail over
• 5 – To end the injustice caused by Zionism, Christians and Muslims must form a united front and coalesce around universal values carried by revolutionary Islam as created by Imam Khomeini
• 6 – Laughter is a means to awaken consciences, and to explain that if we want to fight injustice, we have to bring down Zionism

 

1- Zionism controls France and wants to control the world

 

• “The Zionist lobby in France…its total power…controls all institutions of the Republic.” – p. 9
• “Zionism is a project that exists to divide and reign over a new world order.” – p. 9
• “France is ruled by Zionism.” – p. 9
• “In France…you submit yourself to Zionism… You are a prisoner of Zionism, you are a slave of Zionism.” – p. 9
• There is a new aristocracy … that came to power through slyness, lies, and whining, through absolute victimization.” – p. 9
• “Our governing elite is the Zionist elite, it’s this Zionist lobby.” – p. 9

 

2- Zionism succeeded through slyness, manipulation and lies

 

• “Zionism is based on so many lies that it managed to corrupt the minds into consuming.” – p. 10
• “The problem with Zionism is that as soon as it appears, everything is misleading, everything is false. It’s cheating. A Zionist is a cheater par excellence.” – p. 10
• “Will Jewish hegemony ever end? … The power of the Jewish religion comes with lying and manipulating.” – p. 10
• “It’s the nation of lies, the nation of domination, the nation of cheating.” – p. 10

 

Example #1 – Holocaust blackmail: the Holocaust is a Zionist creation

• “Israel could build itself and exist thanks to these gas chambers.” – p. 11
• “Fernand Nathan … a Zionist who told us history… we had to get out of this madness.” – p. 11
• “The posture of victimization has been utilized and adopted for a long time; it is a very lucrative business.” – p. 11
• Zionists: “They can make believe everything and anything. We can’t give examples, unfortunately, because we cannot.” – p. 11
• Lyrics of his song Shoananas : “You hold me by the Shoah, I hold you by the Shoah… don’t forget, there’s always a way with a little banknote”- p.11

 

Example #2 – Anti-Semitism as blackmail: Anti-Semitism is a Zionist creation

• “Anti-Semitism as blackmail is Zionism’s first weapon… fuel hatred among communities in order to create anti-Semitism and then justify Zionism” – p. 12
• “Zionism’s whole trade is to foster anti-Semitism”- p. 12

 

3- Zionism has infiltrated Christianity and plundered the West of its Christian values

 

• “Our Western countries were plundered… religion has disappeared from our system, and was replaced by Zionism.” – p. 13
• “Christians were stripped from their religion… Everywhere Zionism comes, it tries to deplete a country from its moral values.” – p. 13
• “Zionism stripped the West of its values, which were mostly religious values.”- p. 13
• “Zionism killed Christ.” – p. 13

 

4- Zionism represents a threat to humankind and has to be fought

 

• “My style of humor is clearly anti-Zionist, because to laugh is to laugh against injustice, and today’s injustice of the world is Zionism.”- p. 13
• “Zionism’s cynicism is to wage wars all over the world, and make sure that people beat each other up.” – p. 14
• Zionism: “The whole planet suffers from and is poisoned by this disease.” – p. 14
• “Zionism is the worst part in us… it crushes you, it dominates you, and turns you into a slave.” – p. 14
• ‘Zionism puts humankind to the test… I believe that it is fundamentally a false science and a deep hatred of humankind.” – p. 15
• “Do you think that without Zionism, the world would be in better shape? Listening to you, we feel that Zionism is the greatest evil in the world.” – p. 15
• “They settled in France in order to control almost all industries in this country… It’s really our society’s cancer.” – p. 15
• “There is no person in the history of humanity who is more racist than a Zionist.” – p. 15
• “Today, Zionism intervenes in everybody’s life.” – p. 15
• “Financial paralysis is Zionism’s strategy… Zionism entertains a quasi divine and mystical relationship with money.” – p. 15

 

5.1- Christians and Muslims must unite to fight Zionism

 

• “Christianity has been deeply infiltrated by Zionism… Islam is the space where sincere believers should come together.” – p. 16
• “Those people who persecuted Christ are the same who also persecuted Islam’s prophet.” – p. 16
• “Union between Christians and Muslims… Together we will succeed in fighting this satanic spirit that currently rules the top international institutions.” –p. 16

 

5.2- The Iranian model: Christians should join revolutionary Islam that was initiated by imam Khomeini

 

• Ahmadinejad: “a very important voice for the anti-Zionists… he has become the leader of this front.” – p. 17
• “It is important to encourage Christians to join this vast revolutionary movement.” – p. 17
• Those Christians who are lost today should join the open and modern kind of Islam launched by Imam Khomeini and his Islamic revolution… to fight injustice… and Zionism.” – p. 17
• Iranian people: “You have set an example… you have given us courage and strength.”- p. 17
• Iranian revolution: “Only this path will unify us.” – p. 17

 

6- Humor as a means to awaken consciences and explain the nature of Zionism

 

• “Today there is a revolutionary breeze inspired by the Iranian revolution and that transcends religions… I constantly work in that direction.”- p. 18
• “I’m a laughter fighter, which means that my laughter is liberating.” –p. 18
• “I fight Zionism through my work.” – p. 18
• “The French people are resisting; there are more and more people who come see my shows.” – p. 18
• Zionist America is the world’s nightmare…I hope to awaken consciences so that people can identify the challenge of Zionism and overcome it.” – p. 18
• My audience: “Many young people who ask themselves questions and who feel some injustice in our society.” – p. 19
• The show Foxtrot about the American Dream: “It enabled a little Jewish group to get rich; as for the others, it was the American nightmare.” – p. 19

 

II- Comparison between Dieudonné’s and Hitler’s statements

 

Conclusion: Hitler-Dieudonné, same difference?

Is the “quenelle” a gesture against the establishment?

Probably, but for those who oppose a system that is, in their minds, dominated by Zionist Jews and their “slaves.”

Is the “quenelle” an inverted Nazi salute?

The main similarity between the quenelle and the Nazi salute is probably its function. The quenelle popularizes and summarizes in one gesture an ideology advocates that the world has become unjust because of a Jewish Zionist elite that seized power through lies and manipulation.

The most dangerous aspect in the ideology preached by Dieudonné is the redemptive nature granted to the fight against Zionism. Redemption could only be attained after liberating our societies from the “Jewish Zionist yoke.” This echoes the “redemptive” anti-Semitism that is at the core of Nazi doctrine.

Is Dieudonné a comedian who wants to make people laugh, or fight the “Jewish Zionist rule”? What is he fighting for?

If we let him speak, we’ll know.

Sources

Press conference at the Hilton Hotel in Algiers, 14 February 2013, before performing his last show Foxtrot:
1- Youtube / lbqUMv1hqTI
2- Youtube / a6H-BTTl-g0
3- Youtube / 4SWG3lyQ3HA
4- Interview to the newspaper Algérie Patriotique, 14 February 2013, before performing his last show Foxtrot in Algiers: Youtube / 3AW-33peGjw
Interview to Iranian TV channel SAHAR, 10 February 2011:
5- Youtube / bDOTXltMJXQ
6- Youtube / MaipOJCcxmA
7- Interview to NoName TV, 24 December 2012: Youtube / VOn-YYZ_l-4
8- Interview to the Cercle des volontaires, 29 June 2012: Youtube / 1x3FDH1xCPk
9- Dieudonné’s song performed in unison by the audience at every show: Youtube / gti74cLoeEw
10- Interview to the website Islam & Info, 7 June 2012: Youtube / AeDVMRf_5KY
11- Adolf Hitler: Mein Kampf, translated by Ralph Manheim. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1943 and 1971, vol. 1, Chapter XI, p. 314.
12- Ibid, p.321 Tome I chap XI
13- Ibid, p 351 Tome I chap XII
14- Ibid, p 230 Tome I chap X
15- Ibid , p 230 Tome I chap X
16- Ibid, p557 Tome II chap X
17- Ibid, p314 Tome I chap XI
18- Ibid , p326 Tome I chap XI
19- Ibid, p314 Tome I chap XI
20- Ibid p326 Tome I chap XI
21- Ibid, , p326 Tome I chap XI