Battle against French ‘Anti-Semite’ spreads to Canada

Anti-Semitism is turning out to be quite the hot topic in Canada this week.

On Wednesday, we brought you the story of the East End Madrassah, a Muslim school in Toronto whose “educational” materials likened Judaism to Nazism and called Jews “crafty” and “treacherous.” Those teachings, for which the school apologized, turn out to have originated in Iran.

Now, one province east, attention is turning to Jew-baiting French comedian Dieudonne, a proud supporter of Hezbollah and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad. The controversy-courting comic, who has encountered increasing opposition to efforts to perform in Europe, is scheduled to perform four concerts in Montreal next week, and “tickets are going fast,” the National Post reports.

The show has been characterized in the Belgian media as “a long litany of anti-Semitic comments,” including Holocaust denial and a reference to Hitler as “a nice boy.”

Dieudonne’s Quebec appearances are taking place at Montreal’s Corona Theatre, and were arranged by Evenko, described by the National Post as the city’s largest concert promoter, and an affiliate of its professional hockey team. The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs contacted Evenko last month to protest its work with the performer, and was told the company would be “more vigilant” in the future about its deals with foreign entertainers.

In April, Dieudonne’s latest film, an Iran-financed production called “The Anti-Semite,” went to court in France to fight an attempted ban sought by a French anti-racism group. A judge deemed the film “insidious,” but ruled that attempts to find a distributor could go forward.