French
Say "Non" to Islamist Performer at Bataclan
by Abigail R. Esman
Special to IPT News
October 11, 2018
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On Nov. 13, 2015, a
series of Islamist terrorist attacks shook the city of Paris. One
hundred thirty people were killed and hundreds others injured in
coordinated shootings and a suicide bombing that hit the Bataclan concert
hall, the Stade de France stadium, and several bars and restaurants, all in
the name of the Islamic State.
In the three years since, the Bataclan, now owned by a Qatari group, has
staged provocative performances that some argue are not only pro-Muslim,
but pro-Islamist. In April, when the venue announced a concert set to
feature controversial rapper Medine, who has been criticized for attacks on
France's secularism, many determined that enough had now become enough. Led
by Patrick Jardin, the father of one of the 90 victims of the Bataclan
killing, a group calling itself "100 patriots" called for a "patriotic protest" against the
planned Oct. 19 event.
The movement proved effective: just barely a month before the scheduled
event, the Bataclan and Medine announced that, in a "conciliatory spirit"
and "respect" for the victims' families, the concert would not
take place. While some have called the cancellation an attack on free speech,
others are celebrating what they view as the correct decision. Medine will
still perform, the statement read, but at an alternative venue.
But despite this "conciliation," the pattern of producing such
controversial events at the Bataclan has many Parisians distressed. Even
the date of Qatar's purchase of the property has raised hackles: Sept. 11,
2015 – two months before the attack and "an extremely symbolic
date," Pierre Cassen, one of the protest organizers, observed.
"Curiously, those who are in charge of the hall feel oddly obliged
to invite artists who at one point or another pay homage to the religion of
the assassins – Islam," said Cassen. "The first year, the singer
Sting sang 'Inshallah.'"
Inshallah, Inshallah
If it be your will, it shall come to pass
Medine represented a particularly troubling choice. "He is someone
who openly
calls for the crucifixion of secularists, like in Golgotha; celebrates
the recurring riots taking place in France; calls on Algerians to continue
the war in Algeria; and chants racist remarks against whites," Cassen
said. Lyrics to the rapper's "Angle d'Attaque," for instance,
include, "These white pigs go far, hand me a handgun, I'll make one
pedophile less"; "I've hated Whites since Rodney King, I need a
rifle"; and "Whites are demons/pigs of no morality." For
Cassen and others involved in the protest, "This programming is first
and foremost an unprecedented provocation against France, and an insult to
the memory of the victims and their families."
Yet despite such hateful rhetoric, Pierre Jardin was not specifically
looking to bar Medine from performing, making calls of "censorship"
misguided. "He just wanted it elsewhere than the place where his
31-year-old daughter lost her life," said Cassen.
It would seem a reasonable enough request; and if the many Parisian
Muslims who joined the "Je suis Charlie" march were sincere in their
denunciation of radical Islam, one would expect their community to have
shown equal sympathy in this regard.
They did not. "Not a single imam, as I speak to you, not a single
Muslim leader, asked Medine to cancel his concert," said Cassen.
"That makes them all accomplices, all of them are complicit."
Hence despite the re-staging of the Medine concert, Cassen and others
view the incident as part of an ongoing assault.
Such events would be unthinkable under other circumstances, they argue,
but it apparently is different when Muslims are involved.
"Imagine a neo-Nazi concert in Auschwitz. Imagine a communist
concert in Katyn, where Stalin's troops shot thousands of Polish officers
in the head," said Cassen. "The Americans refused to build a
mosque, which Muslims demanded, at Ground Zero, where the Twin Towers were
destroyed by Islamist assassins." And yet, "This [is] an
incredible violence against France, and it's no coincidence, because for
the Islamists, in Europe, our country is the number one target. So anything
that can weaken our defenses is a good thing – like the Medine
concert."
But if France is a top target, it is far from being the only one: the UK
suffered the most terror attacks and deaths of any European
country during 2017. Hence, asked how he would advise others facing similar
provocations, Cassen offered a rallying call.
"Every country has its traditions, but the fundamentals
remain," he said. "Organize, and gather others. Write a statement
that a maximum of people can sign. Lead the battle of social movements. And
then, if the balance of power is favorable, organize rallies, with
speeches, videos, and show the determination of the resistance.... The only
battles lost in advance are the ones you do not lead."
Abigail R. Esman, the author, most recently, of Radical State: How Jihad Is Winning Over Democracy in
the West (Praeger, 2010), is a freelance writer based in New
York and the Netherlands. Follow her at @radicalstates.
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