Abu Juwairiya
Junior Member
The story below is contemporaneously relevant to the Charlie Hebdo illustrations of the Prophet (SAW). A French musician is set to attend a court hearing because it upsets French people, speaks against two French heroes (Napoleon and Charles De Gaulle) and appears in a gendarme along with two women who are both naked while draping the French flag along with other things.
The story itself is further interesting because others in the overseas social media (Non Muslims I might add) have expressed outrage at the contradictions in 'free speech' (musical lyrics are defined as 'art' and are an extension of free speech, as are films, the theatre, etc.) between this and the French government's decision to defend Charlie Hebdo.
Rapper faces jail for song dissing France
"One of France's most popular rappers will appear in court today charged with offending public decency with a song in which he referred to France as a "slut" and vowed to "piss" on Napoleon and Charles de Gaulle.
Monsieur R, whose real name is Richard Makela, could face three years in prison or a €75,000 (£51,000) fine after an MP from the ruling UMP party launched legal action against him over his album Politikment Incorrekt.
In the video for the song FranSSe, Makela, 30, appeared dressed as a gendarme with two naked women rubbing against the French flag as he rapped: "France is a bitch, don't forget to *!*!*!*! her till she's exhausted/You have to treat her like a slut, man." At another point in the song, he sang: "I piss on Napoleon and on General de Gaulle."
When Daniel Mach, MP for Pyrénées-Orientales, heard the album last year, he proposed a law making it a criminal offence to insult the dignity of France and the French state. In November, when riots broke out in France's run-down suburbs, another UMP deputy, François Grosdidier, won the support of 152 MPs and 49 senators who demanded that parliament act against Makela's lyrics. But by then Mr Mach had taken a personal action against Makela for making and disseminating "violent and pornographic messages" to which minors could get access.
The case is the latest in a series of stand-offs between conservative MPs and rappers. In 2003, Nicolas Sarkozy, the interior minister and presidential hopeful, brought a criminal case against the rap band Sniper, saying their music was anti-semitic, racist and insulting. In one song, La France, they called France a "bitch".
The case was thrown out of court last year.
The same lawyer who defended Sniper is acting for Makela. Makela, who was born in Belgium and came to France aged 14, told Le Parisien he did not target any particular group but rapped against "the system". "You can have a critical view of the French state without being anti-French or racist." (Source: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/may/29/france.arts?CMP=share_btn_fb)
The story itself is further interesting because others in the overseas social media (Non Muslims I might add) have expressed outrage at the contradictions in 'free speech' (musical lyrics are defined as 'art' and are an extension of free speech, as are films, the theatre, etc.) between this and the French government's decision to defend Charlie Hebdo.
Rapper faces jail for song dissing France
"One of France's most popular rappers will appear in court today charged with offending public decency with a song in which he referred to France as a "slut" and vowed to "piss" on Napoleon and Charles de Gaulle.
Monsieur R, whose real name is Richard Makela, could face three years in prison or a €75,000 (£51,000) fine after an MP from the ruling UMP party launched legal action against him over his album Politikment Incorrekt.
In the video for the song FranSSe, Makela, 30, appeared dressed as a gendarme with two naked women rubbing against the French flag as he rapped: "France is a bitch, don't forget to *!*!*!*! her till she's exhausted/You have to treat her like a slut, man." At another point in the song, he sang: "I piss on Napoleon and on General de Gaulle."
When Daniel Mach, MP for Pyrénées-Orientales, heard the album last year, he proposed a law making it a criminal offence to insult the dignity of France and the French state. In November, when riots broke out in France's run-down suburbs, another UMP deputy, François Grosdidier, won the support of 152 MPs and 49 senators who demanded that parliament act against Makela's lyrics. But by then Mr Mach had taken a personal action against Makela for making and disseminating "violent and pornographic messages" to which minors could get access.
The case is the latest in a series of stand-offs between conservative MPs and rappers. In 2003, Nicolas Sarkozy, the interior minister and presidential hopeful, brought a criminal case against the rap band Sniper, saying their music was anti-semitic, racist and insulting. In one song, La France, they called France a "bitch".
The case was thrown out of court last year.
The same lawyer who defended Sniper is acting for Makela. Makela, who was born in Belgium and came to France aged 14, told Le Parisien he did not target any particular group but rapped against "the system". "You can have a critical view of the French state without being anti-French or racist." (Source: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/may/29/france.arts?CMP=share_btn_fb)