f' quenelle

[Webbo]

Bit surprised nobody has started a thread on this.

 

 

Nicolas Anelka has been charged by the FA after making a gesture widely considered to be anti-Semitic.

The striker performed the "quenelle" while celebrating a goal during West Bromwich Albion's match against West Ham on December 28.

The controversy over the gesture has already cost his club a lucrative sponsorship deal with property website Zoopla, which was founded by an American Jewish businessman.

Anelka is said to be "considering his options" after he was accused of breaking FA rules by making a gesture that was "abusive and/or indecent and/or insulting and/or improper".

The player has two days to respond to the FA charge

The 34-year-old is also accused of an "aggravated breach" of the regulations because it is claimed the gesture "included a reference to ethnic origin and/or race and/or religion and/or belief".

He faces a possible minimum five-game ban under the FA's anti-discrimination sanctions.

Anelka, who was seen leaving West Brom's training ground shortly after the charge was announced, said he performed the quenelle in support of Frenchman Dieudonne M'Bala M'Bala, who invented the gesture.

The comedian has been banned from performing in his home country because his act is considered to be offensive.

 

 

[Steven]

... but it is ok for the FA to appoint a homophobe to its "Inclusion Advisory Board". Stinking fvcking hypocrites comes to mind as they defended their appointment. The FA is not in a position to judge the behaviour of anyone else.

[I am Rod Hull]

The Society of Black Lawyers must be on holiday btw....

[Harry - LCFC]

What's the gesture actually about? I've seen this mentioned a few times but without an explanation.

[Webbo]

The FA is not in a position to judge the behaviour of anyone else.

Isn't that their job?

[Jordan]

This Dieudonné fellow is apparently supposed to be a comedian. Now, I'm no expert on French humor, but he seems to be the least funny person alive.

[Out Foxed]

what a joke.

[Steven]

Isn't that their job?

One they fail at routinely.

[The God Emperor]

I was watching the highlights of this match with my uncle who happens to be french. when he saw the celebration he started wetting himself, he then explained it to me, I laughed too. aparently its a big thing in france, lots of people have facebook photos and the like of them doing the salute.

I'm just hoping this isnt going to cause any tension between black players and jewish players.

I'll wait to see if yossi benayoun throws a banana into the crowd when he scores next   

[Mack]

The FA have dithered on this for 3 weeks.

In the end Anelka will get a fine and a ban, bugger off on holiday in his Ferrari and couldn't care less.

 

 

This Dieudonné guy he is supporting seems a rather revolting guy who has gone out of his way to mock Israel and Jews.

I have no idea what Anelka's intentions were supporting such a divisive person. but from what I have read about him it's not a person you could justify support for without supporting his anti Jewish stance.

[Dan]

I'm getting tired of these absolute nobheads who are almost on the lookout to catch someone supposedly being offensive. Nothing other than promoting themselves as some sort of Samaritan which they're far from. Hopefully it's ignored seeing as no-one's genuinely bothered by it.

[Guest MattP]

The Society of Black Lawyers must be on holiday btw....

Pretty much exactly what I thought.

It's clearly a very offensive gesture and the list of convictions this Dieudonne has says a lot about him.

Anelka was pretty stupid but it's a bit of bigotry, not the crime of the century.

[Corky]

I really wish commentators would talk like the FA documents.

 

"That shot by Andy Carroll was woeful and/or wild and/or scuffed and/or wayward and/or hopeless".

[Finnaldo]

So has anyone told the FA that Nazis killed black people too?

It's like a Welshman calling an Englishman a 'British b@stard'

[Danizen]

Football365 bring up a good point. Zoopla seemed to not care about this 'anti-Semitic' gesture until the Everton game, last night. Knowing it was televised and knowing it was the only game on, they smelled some free publicity which they've got by trying to dictate team selection to a club they sponsor. I bet they weren't going to renew their sponsorship deal regardless of whether Anelka played, last night.

[iniesta]

It's an anti Zionist gesture. I'm no fan of Anelka but I'm even less of a fan of Zionism.

I'm with Nic on this one

[Libertine Dream]

I find it ridiculous, it's took them over 3 weeks to make a decision and the ban will be extreme.

Dieudonne is clearly a twat, he puts Frankie Boyle in a good light but nowhere has this gesture been noted as anything to do with Jews or Nazism. He used the gesture during a political campaign of his for his anti-Zionist party. Now whilst Zionism is a Jewish movement, this does not make the gesture anti Semitic or supporting of Nazism. The reason it is perceived as anti Semitic and Nazi related is because the guy comes across as anti Semitic but there certainly is no proof of it's intended meaning, in his or Anelka's case.

[Raj]

Most ****ers never knew about this shite.

Now every little kid will be doing it when they score!!!

Has there been an outcry from the yid community?

[Haydos]

I find it ridiculous, it's took them over 3 weeks to make a decision and the ban will be extreme.

Dieudonne is clearly a twat, he puts Frankie Boyle in a good light but nowhere has this gesture been noted as anything to do with Jews or Nazism. He used the gesture during a political campaign of his for his anti-Zionist party. Now whilst Zionism is a Jewish movement, this does not make the gesture anti Semitic or supporting of Nazism. The reason it is perceived as anti Semitic and Nazi related is because the guy comes across as anti Semitic but there certainly is no proof of it's intended meaning, in his or Anelka's case.

 

But why do it when it's associated with strongly with someone who is know to have anti-semetic connections. Just seems stupid.

[Guest MattP]

But why do it when it's associated with strongly with someone who is know to have anti-semetic connections. Just seems stupid.

Anelka is a black French Muslim himself so he wouldn't be the first one of those to express a hatred for Jews.

[Guest MattP]

I find it ridiculous, it's took them over 3 weeks to make a decision and the ban will be extreme.

Dieudonne is clearly a twat, he puts Frankie Boyle in a good light but nowhere has this gesture been noted as anything to do with Jews or Nazism. He used the gesture during a political campaign of his for his anti-Zionist party. Now whilst Zionism is a Jewish movement, this does not make the gesture anti Semitic or supporting of Nazism. The reason it is perceived as anti Semitic and Nazi related is because the guy comes across as anti Semitic but there certainly is no proof of it's intended meaning, in his or Anelka's case.

Come on.

His "organisation" was far more of just an anti Zionist one.

When you encourage your supporters to make these gestures at places like Auschwitz I'd say it crosses the line of being anti Jewish.

If he was white christian he would have been locked away years ago.

[Rocket-Ron]

Some said yesterday that if it's so offensive then why is it shown on the television every time I turn on the sports news?

[indierich06]

The name quenelle comes from an elongated fish meatballs dish, which is said to look like a suppository.^[2] Hence, the phrase "mettre une quenelle" ("to give someone the quenelle "), with a gesture simulating fisting practice,^[2] is similar to the English "up yours".^{[citation needed]}. The arm outstretched refers to the length of the arm going up one's bottom.^[3]

 

 

^{So it's basically a gesture that means 'up yours' - apparently Dieudonne used it on an anti zionist election poster, stating that he wanted to 'put a quenelle into Zionism's butt'. Hardly sounds like a vicious anti-semitic gesture to me. Just sounds like a stupid gesture that's being used by a ****ing idiot. There's nothing racist, or anti-semitic about the gesture itself and those who are going around wailing that it's like an 'inverted Nazi salute' (?!) need to stop being so precious.}

 

^{Anelka's a ****ing idiot for doing it too, whether he meant it in a racist way or not - although I don't believe it was racist, more naive, as he never would have done it otherwise - no player would go out of their way to make racist gestures on the pitch infront of thousands of fans and tv cameras. You get a ban for even sticking a finger up at the fans these days.}

 

^{All in all, this media circus surrounding it is a total farce. I'm all for kicking racism out of football, but if we keep raking up insignificant shit like this then all we're doing is keeping racism in the headlines rather than - god forbid - actually focusing on football for a change. As someone said, more needs to be done about the absolute morons on twitter who give proper racist abuse to Collymore and get away scott free, rather than focusing on this rubbish.}

[indierich06]

Some said yesterday that if it's so offensive then why is it shown on the television every time I turn on the sports news?

 

It was like when the media was up in arms about the campaign to get 'Ding Dong the Witch is Dead' to number one after Thatcher died. So, so offensive that they just had to mention it in the news every five minutes and play excerpts of it. Absolute clowns.

[RobHawk]

Never even heard of it until this debacle! People in France were in uproar apparently! 

 

It wasn't the cleverest thing to do but i still thing the reaction is a bit OTT and the FA look useless as ever!