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Following a massive march for free speech in Paris, French authorities arrested 54 people for "hate speech," including comedian Dieudonné. On the McLaughlin Group, Eleanor Clift defended the arrests, arguing that Europe has tougher laws against hate speech than the U.S. Critics point out the hypocrisy of marching for the right to insult religion while simultaneously criminalizing other forms of offensive speech.
Dieudonné Mbala Mbala, Quenelle Gesture, French Free Speech
French comedian Dieudonné Mbala Mbala has been banned from performing his show after the government characterized his "quenelle" hand gesture as an inverted Nazi salute. Dieudonné maintains the gesture is anti-establishment rather than anti-Semitic and has filed a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights. The ban has sparked a debate over the limits of free speech in France and whether the government's actions are providing the comic with more publicity.
