French comic’s arrest stirs free speech debate

Notorious French comedian Dieudonne is arrested Wednesday for condoning terrorism over a comment suggesting he sympathized with one of the Paris attacks gunmen, in a move that sparks a debate about free speech.

His lawyer David de Stefano says his arrest was “shocking.”

“We are in the land of freedom of expression? This morning, the government provided the demonstration of that,” he says sarcastically.

Dieudonne is a controversial figure who has made headlines in the past, most notably with his trademark “quenelle” hand gesture that looks like an inverted Nazi salute.

The polemicist’s arrest over his Facebook posts sparks huge debate over where freedom of expression starts and ends, particularly after France has for days vaunted the importance of free speech following killings that took aim at journalists among others. The arrest has set off sparring in light of the controversial nature of Charlie Hebdo itself, which has in the past provoked significant outrage.

— AFP