Censorship claim after rapper banned from festival

The boss of France’s Eurockéennes de Belfort has denounced a prefectural decision to ban a controversial rapper from performing at the festival.

French rapper Freeze Corleone, who has faced frequent allegations of promoting anti-Semitism in his music, had been set to play at the event, which took place from 3-6 July with acts such as Iron Maiden, DJ Snake, Justice, The Last Dinner Party and Kneecap.

However, a decree signed by the Territoire de Belfort prevented Corleone from appearing – a ruling that was upheld after the 33-year-old singer and festival promoter Territoire de Musiques took the matter to Besançon administrative court.

The interim relief judge concluded the ban did not “constitute a serious and manifestly illegal infringement of fundamental freedoms, in particular the applicants’ freedom of expression”.

“In banning this concert, the prefect of the Territoire de Belfort considered the risk of major public disorder,” read the administrative court’s summary. “He pointed out that many of the rapper’s songs contain conspiracy theories, are openly anti-Semitic and imbued with admiration for Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich, and that all of the rapper’s song lyrics knowingly incite hatred or discrimination against explicitly identified individuals.

“The prefect also justified his decision by the geopolitical context, which is particularly tense, raising fears that such comments could lead to violent reactions and unrest among festival-goers.”

Furthermore, the judge ruled that Corleone’s lyrics “do indeed promote Nazism or racism and include incitement to hatred, violence, or discrimination against identified groups of people”.

“He considered that even if the excesses are likely to be controlled by the police and the organisers’ security service, the immaterial disturbance to public order caused by the lyrics of the rapper Freeze Corleone is such that it is sufficient to rule out any serious and manifestly illegal infringement of the fundamental freedoms invoked,” concluded the court’s decision.

“This decision violates fundamental freedoms: freedom of expression, creativity, and programming”

In a press conference held on Sunday, Eurockéennes president Matthieu Pigasse was heavily critical of the ruling, which he decried as “censorship”. He added he was “deeply committed to the festival’s values ​​of tolerance, respect, and diversity”.

“We condemn hate speech, racist and anti-Semitic remarks. That being said, this decision violates fundamental freedoms: freedom of expression, creativity, and programming,” said Pigasse. “Banning a concert means banning everyone from thinking, debating, and feeling… I deplore it, for the future of culture.”

Real name Issa Lorenzo Diakhaté, Corleone had seen a number of shows cancelled across France in recent times including in Lille, Lyon and Nantes. A scheduled 2022 gig in Montreal, Canada, was also scrapped after concerns were raised by Jewish organisations.

But Pigasse stressed that the rapper had never been convicted or caused any public disturbances during his concerts, adding that Eurockéennes had previously welcomed controversial artists without incident.

“Each time, we emphasised the unique atmosphere of the festival,” he said. “Peace has always prevailed.”

Festival director Jean-Paul Roland added that a behavioural clause had been included in Corleone’s contract.

“There was a specific clause that stated that no objectionable material should be broadcast,” he said. “We had requested the full list of songs and lyrics.”

The event, which will return from 2-5 July next year, attracted 130,000 spectators over four days, marking the second largest edition in its history.

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