Volume 4 No 2 - Journal for the Study of Antisemitism

818 JOURNAL FOR THE STUDY OF ANTISEMITISM [ VOL. 4:817attack against Jews in general, but as against a type of person “distinguishedby their political views.”Later examples of Dieudonné’s intent were not judged so lightly. Hehas been sued in France for “apology for crimes against humanity,” “provocationto discrimination, hate and violence” and “bringing injury to a groupof persons under the cover of humour.”Another court judgment argued that Dieudonné’s object was to offendthe memory of the Jewish people, in “turning the deportation and exterminationof the Jews by the Nazis in the Second World War into a derisionthat constitutes an outrageous and contemptuous expression regarding theJewish community.”As co-founder of the French “Anti-Zionist Party,” Dieudonné campaignedin regional elections and, as a candidate of the “Euro-Palestineparty” in the European elections, on a platform to combat “Zionist dominationin Western societies” and “submission to the Shoah, which has becomea new religion.”Without giving undue importance to Dieudonné’s latest film, the 90-minute, tedious L’antisémite proves two arguments: a) that Judeophobia,anti-Zionism, Holocaust denial, and Protocols conspiracy theories are notstand-alone ideologies that may or may not contain elements of antisemitism.Indeed, they are the building blocks of antisemitism itself, and b) thatantisemitism is a self-destructive disease that is contagious and, at a certainpoint, becomes incurable.The film opens in black and white, where Dieudonné, as a US marine,is “discovering” Auschwitz and feeding a morsel of bread through thebarbed wire to an emaciated inmate, who takes him on a tour of a “gaschamber” with bathroom-type hand showers. The human bone fragments inthe crematoria are presented as if they were the remains of a barbecue.Dieudonné physically abuses the cast, his wife, his psychoanalyst (Dr.Goldstein), and his homosexual film director—for all are Jews, thus justifyinghis antisemitic paranoia. The bottom line is: “The Jews control everything;media, finance, politics—we have no choice, we must exterminatethem!” Filmed within a film in the Main d’Or theater, it ends with a madparty of the audience dancing with the so called “Shoahnanas” (Shoahgirls).The film—available only online—has been ostracized by cinemachains and television channels can only be purchased online. The sleeveclaims an award nomination at the Fajr-Tehran film festival; indeed, LeMonde reported that the movie was co-produced with Iran.Cannes film market director Jerome Poullard rejected a public screening,as would be the case “for any movie that affects public order and relig-