French politician blames rap for stoking riots
Associated Press, Canadian Press
A French conservative legislator who claims the support of 200 parliamentary colleagues is asking the government to take legal action against rap artists he says stoked recent rioting with violent lyrics.
"When people hear this all day long and when these words swirl around in their heads, it is no surprise that they then see red as soon as they walk past policemen or simply people who are different from them,'' Francois Grosdidier said Thursday on France-Info radio.
Rapper Monsieur R, among those singled out by the legislator from President Jacques Chirac's ruling UMP party, rejected the notion that youths set fire to cars and rioted because of rap.
"Hip hop is a crude art, so we use crude words,'' Monsieur R, whose real name is Richard Makela, told LCI television. "It is not a call to violence.''
The Justice Ministry said it could not immediately comment on Grosdidier's request that rap artists Monsieur R, Ministere A.M.E.R., 113 and others face legal sanctions.
Grosdidier claims the backing of 150 colleagues in parliament's lower house and around 50 senators. He singled out Monsieur R's song FranSSe, in which the rapper expresses contempt for France and historic figures like Napoleon and Gen. Charles de Gaulle.
Grosdidier said songs like FranSSe incite racism and hatred and should be banned from the airwaves.
Another UMP legislator, Daniel Mach, has filed a legal complaint against Monsieur R over FranSSe. A court in Melun, southeast of Paris, said Thursday that it will consider the case in February.
Monsieur R is not the first rapper to face legal action. A Rouen court in northern France this year acquited four members of Sniper accused by the Interior Ministry of inciting attacks on police in the song La France. The ministry appealed. A ruling is due Dec. 14.
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