Comic on trial over Facebook post

Pa ris • Controversial French comic Dieudonné M’ bala M’bala went on trial Wednesday, charged with “defending terrorism” in a Facebook post after last month’s three-day terror spree in Paris.

In it, the comic, known by his stage name Dieudonné, said, “I feel like Charlie Coulibaly.”

The post merges the names of Charlie Hebdo, the satirical magazine where two gunmen killed 12 people, and Amedy Coulibaly, who prosecutors say killed four hostages at a kosher supermarket and a policewoman. The three Muslim extremists were killed in nearly simultaneous raids by security forces Jan. 9.

It was the second time in seven days the comic has faced a court. Last week, he faced charges of inciting racial hatred.

In a tough new crackdown on terrorism, France is going after anyone seen as supporting terror in any form. Scores of people have gone before courts for perceived backing of terrorism or the Paris attackers.

The prosecution asked that Dieudonné be fined €150 ($215) a day for 200 days, a total of €30,000. The verdict is set to be handed down on March 18, a day before the verdict in last week’s trial, in which the prosecution sought a one-off fine of €30,000.

Dieudonné, born in the western suburbs of Paris to a Cameroonian accountant and a white French sociologist, is a controversial figure.

The trouble started in the early 2000s when his comedy took a sharp nose-dive into anti-Semitism. What France calls “L’affaire Dieudonné” has raged ever since, to the point where his shows are now being banned across the country.

Yet repeated brushes with the authorities (he claims to have been subject to “more than 80 judicial procedures”) have made him an anti-establishment hero to disaffected youth in the banlieues, the poor, rundown suburbs with strong immigrant populations, where his act finds its most loyal audience.

Dieudonné, 48, has been convicted a dozen times of racism or anti-Semitism.

Anti-censorship groups have expressed caution.

“Jokes posted on Facebook about terrorist atrocities, even if distasteful or offensive, are protected by the right to freedom of expression if they fall short of actual incitement to terrorist acts,” said Thomas Hughes, director of Article 19, London-based human rights organization.