French comedian who joked about Charlie Hebdo massacres faces £22,000 fine

A French comedian Dieudonne M'bala M'bala, 48, who joked about the Charlie Hebdo massacres in a facebook post last month had been fined £22,000 after telling Palais de Justice in central Paris yesterday he 'condemned the attacks without reservation and without any ambiguity'.

Dieudonne is charged with inciting terrorism but the controversial entertainer denied any wrongdoing and said the case exposed the hypocrisy of a country which 'pretends' to be a bastion of free speech.

Dieudonne, who has convictions for anti-Semitism, said his humour was no different to Charlie Hebdo's.

He wrote: 'Tonight, as far as I'm concerned, I feel like Charlie Coulibaly.'

His defence barrister, Sanjay Mirabeau said Dieudonne's arrest in January was disproportionate, yet it was followed by police questioning more than 70 others for similar alleged crimes.

Source: UK Daily Mail