What the hell is a 'quenelle'? Why everyone is searching Google for an anti-Semitic salute

[shira]

The word began its journey to becoming infamous last Saturday when a French soccer star Nicolas Anelka who plays for the British team West Bromwich Albion made the gesture in celebration of a goal at a game - and an outcry ensued. He claims that it is merely an ‘anti-establishment’ gesture popularized by his comedian friend. Others disagreed sharply. On the same day Valerie Fourneyron, France's sports minister tweeted: "Anelka's gesture is a shocking, disgusting provocation. No place for anti-Semitism and incitement to hatred on the football field." A host of other leaders and Jewish groups also protested strongly against the gesture, even asking that Anelka be banned from the field for making a salute “created by a well-known extreme anti-Semite who has displayed his hatred of Jews, mocked the Holocaust and Jewish suffering."

And so thousands of us turned to Google in an attempt to figure out exactly what was going on. How bad was this bizarre gesture? Is it merely a rebellious version of the international sign for F--- Y--? Or indeed a subtle way to give a “Heil Hitler” without getting in trouble? This explanation just seemed so illogical. Why would celebrities of African origin embrace a Nazi salute? Do they not understand that Hitler was no fan of dark-skinned folks?

The BBC went with this definition:

“It is the trademark of the hugely controversial French comedian Dieudonne M'Bala M'Bala, who once said he would like to put a quenelle - a rugby-ball-shaped serving of fish or meat paste - up the backside of Zionists.”

(I read this and thought - Aha - fish or meat paste! I knew it sounded like some kind of food group!)

The BBC continued: “Dieudonne made the gesture when he headed his own anti-Zionist campaign in the European elections in 2009. French media trace it further back, to one of his performances in 2005. It came to greater prominence in September when two soldiers were photographed appearing to make the gesture outside a Paris synagogue. There are thousands of examples posted online, some at sensitive sites such as the Auschwitz death camp, and Dieudonne fans can be seen repeating it outside his theatre.”

http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/routine-emergencies/1.566422

[font color = "red"]Really folks, the new Hitler salute is anti-zionist and pro-Palestinian....not anti-semitic![/font]

[bemildred]

1. Yeah, I ran into that a couple weeks back.

It seems odd to me, but it appears to be a big deal in France. That guy is very good a promoting himself.

[King_David]

2. Photos of the quenelle (new anti-Semitic gesture)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1223844

[LeftishBrit]

3. HopeNotHate on the subject of Dieudonne

http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/blog/nick/article/3292/a-profile-of-a-french-antisemite


He really seems to cosy up with every possible anti-Semitic group, even groups as apparently incompatible as an extreme Black Nationalist group and the far larger LePen nutcase party. As for his pal Bishop Williamson...


All decidedly nasty, anyway.