The mayors of several French cities are banning scheduled performances by a ‘comedian’ who is widely accused of anti-Semitism, although he maintains his act is anti-establishment and anti-Zionist.  Nevertheless, even France’s President has joined the fight against Dieudonne M'bala M'bala.

Officials in Nantes barred the opening date in Dieudonne M’bala M’bala's tour, which was set for Thursday.  Hours earlier, similar shows were banned by mayors in Marseille, Bordeaux, and Tours.  The landlords of the theatre in Paris which had hosted Dieudonne’s one-man show have decided to give the comedian notice to quit the premises.  And the President stepped up.

“No one should be able to use this show for provocation and to promote openly anti-Semitic ideas,” President Francois Hollande said throwing his support behind the mayors.

Dieudonne M'bala M'bala is the inventor of the “Quenelle”, and arm gesture that he claims is merely anti-establishment.  Critics say it’s an inverted nazi salute.  His fans routinely use it to mock Jewish suffering and Jews in general, photographing themselves smirking and making the gesture at Holocaust memorials and small Jewish businesses that have nothing to do with “the establishment”.  Many of those photographed are on the neo-nazi end of Skinhead culture.

The story burst wide open last month when the anti-Semitic salute popped up in soccer. West Bromwich Albion striker Nicolas Anelka celebrated scoring a goal with a gesture before thousands.  He claimed it wasn’t anti-Semitic, and he’d never do it again.  It came at a time when the sport was still recovering after banning a Greek footballer who made a nazi salute on the pitch.

Dieudonne was once a popular comic and actor in France, appearing in movies and voicing cartoons.  He spent most of the past ten years in a decent into obsession with Jews, Holocaust denial, and conspiracies.  But he maintains an audience, made up of white racists, and those who are intellectually unable to differentiate between Israel’s questionable policies towards Palestinians, and Jewish people in general who have nothing to do with establishing the former.  Hopefully that sewer isn’t too crowded.