A poster of M'Bala’s new play

By Hadi Yahmed, IOL Paris Correspondent

PARIS, April 3 (IslamOnline.net) - A French court on Friday, April 2, fined French comedian Dieudonne M'Bala M'Bala 10.000 dollars and convicted him of inciting ethnic hatred after criticizing the Israeli policies in one of his performances.

Speaking to IslamOnline.net after the verdict, the French actor regretted that the freedom of expression in the European country has been hijacked by individuals and parties pre-occupied with blindly defending Israeli policies.

He accused such individuals and powers of exploiting the anti-Semitism charge to head off any criticism of Israeli policies.

Last December, Dieudonne performed a sketch on Channel 3 featuring a rabbi advising youths in the Paris suburbs to embrace Judaism in order to join "the U.S.-Zionist axis of good".

He was referring to the axis of evil, in which the U.S. bracketed Iraq, Iran and North Korea, and Washington’s blind support to Israel against Palestinians.

As part of the sketch, Dieudonne also addressed the audience with a "hi Israel" salute, which Jewish protesters said was reminiscent of the infamous "hi Hitler."

Ridiculing the charges, Dieudonne said the sketch was meant as a criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's policies toward Palestinians and that criticizing Israel’s policy could not be synonymous with anti-Semitism.

Defending himself, the French comedian told the judge that wearing a rabbi costume was part of playing the role of an armed fundamentalist Jewish settler.

"My Apologies"

On his upcoming projects to counter the campaign waged against him, M'Bala said he would perform a new play entitled "My Apologies" on April 21, 2004.

He maintained that this would not be an apology for anybody but rather a creative attempt to answer back the accusations leveled at him.

Representatives from several human right organizations attended the court hearing.

Emerging from the courtroom, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Secretary General Robert Ménard told reporters it was a trial of the freedom of expression.

He repudiated claims that M'Bala was anti-Semitic and slammed the use of  anti-Semitism to stem criticism of Sharon.

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, anti-Semitism is hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious or racial group.

It was coined in 1879 by German agitator Wilhelm Marr to designate the anti-Jewish campaigns underway in central Europe at that time.

However, Richard Levy, a professor of History in Chicago, told IslamOnline.net the term is often misused when Jews and others "refuse to see any difference between criticism of Israeli policies and anti-Semitism".

"Anti-Semitic charges are sometimes employed to stifle objections to anything the Israelis want to do or have done."

Sharon accused Europeans in general and Muslims in particular of anti-Semitism after a poll by the EU Commission survey disclosed that some 59 per cent of Europeans believe Israel is more dangerous than North Korea and Iran.