“I signed the municipal decree banning the Dieudonné show this morning”, slice Jean-Luc Moudenc, LR mayor of Toulouse. The city councilor announced on Wednesday the outright censorship of Sous bracelet: an extraordinary show, the stand-up of the controversial comedian which was to take place Thursday, August 17 in his commune.
“This story is very weird. We do not know the place of the event, it is not normal to proceed in this way, ”explains the mayor. Beyond the “methods” that he castigates, Jean-Luc Moudenc considers that Dieudonné “spreads a discourse that divides society. He is sometimes on the left, sometimes on the far right, he makes anti-Semitic, homophobic, racist comments, etc. He sows hatred and discord as if we did not already have to face too many divisions. “The regular and assumed remarks” of the humorist “contribute to the fragmentation of national cohesion”, we read in the municipal decree.
On the site of the artist, considered anti-Semitic, homophobic and racist, it is always possible to reserve places for the show which was to take place in Toulouse. Ditto for Montpellier where the mayor also took the decision to ban the performance. The locations are never specified. It simply says: “The exact location will be communicated to you by SMS no later than a few hours before the performance.” A headache for elected officials. “If he decides to perform in a neighboring town, my prohibition order will not work”, deplores Jean-Luc Moudenc. The mayor of Toulouse expresses the wish to strengthen the legislation because, “it is not easy to fight an adversary who advances masked, with a strategy of dissimulation”.
The decision of the mayor of Toulouse was taken in consultation with the prefect of the Occitanie region. Contacted, the latter did not wish to respond, but proceeded to send a press release. “Pierre-André Durand fully supports this decision which aims, in particular, to prevent any breach of public order. The prefecture will take all necessary measures for the proper execution of this decree.
The comedian has been convicted several times for racial slur, incitement to hatred and apology for terrorism. In 2021, the Court of Appeal imposed a two-year prison sentence on Dieudonné for tax evasion and misuse of corporate assets. This is fitted out and the actor obtains to purge it at his home with an electronic bracelet. Dieudonné also affirms, in the summary of his show, that he “has an exceptional opportunity to exercise his profession, which is the production of shows”.