Tweet
Looks like l'Olympia Music Hall (one of the places I performed in )
is expecting fun and games..
PARIS (Reuters) - French comedian Dieudonne, who is under fire from anti-racist and Jewish groups, vowed on Friday to perform in the street outside a Paris theater after it canceled his show because of fears it would spark protests.
Dieudonne M'Bala M'Bala appeared in a sketch shown on television in December dressed as an Orthodox rabbi and gave a Nazi salute. He faces trial on charges of making a racist slur.
The Olympia theater, a Paris landmark for leading acts since the days of Edith Piaf (news) in the 1950s, said it could not guarantee the safety of the audience at Friday's planned show. Several incidents had marred previous performances.
"I'll be there at seven o'clock. I'm inviting people to come along. I'll begin with some street theater. I'm still going to do a few routines. I've a few good pieces left over," he told Europe 1 radio.
"It's a harsh punishment. This is the first time in France, I think, that they've banned a performer from going on stage in this way."
Dieudonne, who is black and was once known for performing in Ku Klux Klan robes alongside a Jewish childhood friend dressed as an SS officer, denied he was anti-Semitic or racist.
He has said the sketch was meant as a criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (news - web sites)'s policies toward Palestinians.
A heavy police presence is expected when Dieudonne performs. Paris police chief Jean-Paul Proust told the management of the Olympia in a letter that police could only guarantee security outside the venue, a police spokesman said on Thursday.
Earlier this month, some 150 demonstrators protested in front of a theater where Dieudonne was performing in the southern city of Lyon. Two members of the public were injured after someone released tear gas during the performance.
is expecting fun and games..
PARIS (Reuters) - French comedian Dieudonne, who is under fire from anti-racist and Jewish groups, vowed on Friday to perform in the street outside a Paris theater after it canceled his show because of fears it would spark protests.
Dieudonne M'Bala M'Bala appeared in a sketch shown on television in December dressed as an Orthodox rabbi and gave a Nazi salute. He faces trial on charges of making a racist slur.
The Olympia theater, a Paris landmark for leading acts since the days of Edith Piaf (news) in the 1950s, said it could not guarantee the safety of the audience at Friday's planned show. Several incidents had marred previous performances.
"I'll be there at seven o'clock. I'm inviting people to come along. I'll begin with some street theater. I'm still going to do a few routines. I've a few good pieces left over," he told Europe 1 radio.
"It's a harsh punishment. This is the first time in France, I think, that they've banned a performer from going on stage in this way."
Dieudonne, who is black and was once known for performing in Ku Klux Klan robes alongside a Jewish childhood friend dressed as an SS officer, denied he was anti-Semitic or racist.
He has said the sketch was meant as a criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (news - web sites)'s policies toward Palestinians.
A heavy police presence is expected when Dieudonne performs. Paris police chief Jean-Paul Proust told the management of the Olympia in a letter that police could only guarantee security outside the venue, a police spokesman said on Thursday.
Earlier this month, some 150 demonstrators protested in front of a theater where Dieudonne was performing in the southern city of Lyon. Two members of the public were injured after someone released tear gas during the performance.