Word: pens
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...part of the "Euro-Palestine" list of candidates running for the European Parliament. In June, he's fronting an "anti-Zionism" group that also includes a former Le Pen speech writer, a radical black supremacist, and an author whose 2002 book The Horrifying Fraud became a bestseller in France by alleging that 9/11 was an inside job carried out by the U.S. government...
...Dieudonné's embrace of extreme rightist views contrasts with his earlier support of leftist causes. In 1997, Dieudonné staged a long-shot bid for parliament in the National Front stronghold of Dreux, with an aim to denying victory to Le Pen's candidate - a goal which was attained when mainstream leftist, centrists, and conservative parties united to form a common front. Even after that campaign, Dieudonné continued defending progressive ideals that included anti-racism, socio-economic justice for residents of France's blighted suburban housing projects, and protecting the rights of illegal immigrants in France...
...within a decade, Dieudonné's crusading of leftist causes had brought him in conflict with Israel's policies on Palestine - which in turn seemed to motivate his increasingly controversial comments about Jews in general. By 2007, he was seen getting friendly with his former nemesis Le Pen - at one point turning up as one of the rare minority faces at a National Front party convention. In July 2008, their common interests and outlooks had come close enough together that Le Pen confirmed rumors he'd become the godfather of one of Dieudonné's children...
...Pen was in the audience that witnessed Dieudonné's odious tribute to negationist Faurisson. Perhaps following that lead, Le Pen himself created a new storm last month by repeating allegations he'd already been convicted for that "the gas chambers were a detail of Second World War history...
...what's behind the dueling outrages? "Without discounting the real roots and feeling of anti-Semitism both men have, most of this is really about drawing attention to a European campaign no one cares about," says Lorrain de Saint-Affrique, a political strategist who advised Le Pen in the 1980s. "Le Pen needs scandal to be elected. Dieudonné is an entertainer using politics to promote his career. Outrage generates headlines - and both men need those." Yet another thing the two have in common...