an elected official calls for a ban on the Freeze Corleone concert in Nantes

Le Figaro Nantes

«We need to burn all the pedophiles like Polanski and Jack Lang»: the release of Freeze Corleone’s new album, on the night of Sunday to Monday, provokes reactions. Several personalities take it for their rank. At the same time, in Nantes, the rapper was the subject of controversy. While he is expected at the zenith of the metropolis on December 1, municipal councilor Foulques Chombart de Lauwe requested on Friday that his concert be banned in a message published on X (formerly Twitter).

«On several occasions this musician makes anti-Semitic remarks in his songs by advocating Nazism, reported several times by Licra», Indicates the right-wing elected official, in a letter sent to prefect Fabrice Rigoulet-Roze on September 11. Unaware that a new album was expected the same day, he points out several passages, some of which had already sparked controversy. “I arrive determined like Adolf in the 30s», cites the elected official as an example, regarding the title «Baton Rouge». Or “I would rather be accused of anti-Semitism than of rape like Darmanin »taken from the new title “Shakvat» unveiled in preview in July.

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“Propagation of anti-Semitic hatred”

«As a representative of the State in our department and in the face of such comments, we call on you so that all levers are implemented to prevent the spread of anti-Semitic hatred which has no place and will never have. its place in our Republic», writes the member of the Mieux Vivre group in Nantes. “It’s up to them to find the best legal vector to prohibit it», he explains to the Figaro. «For the moment, we are legally analyzing the subject», replies the Loire-Atlantique prefecture, specifying that the deadline is in a little less than two months.

The municipal councilor also wrote to Nantes Métropole to encourage it to contact the state representative. “The same goes for the image of Nantes», he pleads in this second letter. “When they want to condemn what they do not condone, they do it. It would be good to have a clear positioning“, he insists, reached by telephone.

Contacted, the metropolis of Nantes indicates to Figaro that sheobviously does not condone the anti-Semitic remarks of this artist“. As for the means of action, she adds details: on the municipal side, “mayors do not have the means to intervene outside of a municipal decree which we know will be broken“. On the prefecture side, “the Prefect may prohibit on the grounds of risk of disturbance of public order“. On the zenith side, the room for maneuver is reduced (read box). An exchange is also planned with the mayor of Saint-Herblain and the prefect.

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Other cancellation attempts

Last February, the PS mayor of Rennes Nathalie Appéré had already tried to cancel the arrival of the artist whose real name is Issa Lorenzo Diakhaté. She had issued a municipal decree banning her show due to the risk of “public order disturbances» facing words «deemed anti-Semitic“. The administrative court suspended the order in question. The Council of State, to which she had recourse immediately, had also authorized the representation of the rapper.

Never convicted by the courts, the rapper has been singled out several times by LICRA. ““Who can spontaneously say “would rather be accused of anti-Semitism than of rape”? This pathetic punchline from Freeze-Corleone in the form of a confession should make those who give him an audience think about their responsibilities. We will make sure», denounced this summer the International League against Racism and Anti-Semitism. The one who very rarely speaks in the media had also been dropped by his label Universal Music which, in 2020, denounced “unacceptable racist comments.

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«It is unfortunate that the courts cannot ban it. If the law needs to be changed… There are enough people and elected officials from all sides who have spoken out against his coming», concludes Nantes elected official Foulques Chombart de Lauwe. “It is not because judges were able to consider elsewhere that the disturbance of public order was not characterized that we should give up.»