Dieudonné's upcoming Montreal performance raises free speech questions

Mayor Denis Coderre has said controversial French comedian Dieudonné is not welcome in Montreal, but the founder of the Just for Laughs Festival says it's a "delicate" situation that Quebecers should carefully consider.

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Dieudonné M'bala M'bala, who performs under the name Dieudonné, is booked to play ten shows in Montreal from May 11-16. He's also expected to perform in Trois-Rivières. 

I think it's about that: I'm totally against what you just said, but im going to fight for the fact that you can say it.- Gilbert Rozon, Just For Laughs Festival Founder

Just for Laughs Comedy Festival founder Gilbert Rozon said he doesn't agree with Dieudonné's past comments, which include jokes about gas chambers.

"It's why I stopped promoting him."

But, Rozon adds, disagreeing with someone and preventing him from expressing himself are two different things.

"We have to decide, are we for or against freedom of speech?" Rozon said, adding there's a lot of nuance to consider.

"Recently we had a case on the French-Canadian side with Mike Ward, who's a good friend of mine, and he did a joke that was probably from my point of view bad taste," Rozon said. 

"But I had to defend him, even though if I had done this kind of joke I probably would have apologized. I think it's about that: I'm totally against what you just said, but im going to fight for the fact that you can say it."

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Dieudonné was found guilty last year in France for condoning terrorism after posting a joke on his Facebook page about the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris.

He also has several previous convictions under hate speech laws in France and Belgium. 

It's up to agents at the Canada Border Services Agency to decide whether Dieudonné's history will prevent him from being allowed into Canada.

Stéphane Duval, the chair of the Canadian Bar Association's National Immigration Section, said an agent will have to analyze whether the judgements rendered against Dieudonné in Europe constitute an indictable offence in Canada. 

"The burden is on the shoulders of Dieudonné. He has to prove that he is admissible in the country," Duval said.

He explained that if Dieudonné is recognized by agents or if there's a warning in the system, he'll have to meet with an inspection officer, and prove that the judgements rendered against him in Europe do not make him inadmissible.

A spokesperson for the CBSA said "admissibility of all travellers is decided on a case-by-case basis and based on the information made available at the time of entry."

They said several factors would be considered, including involvement in criminal activity and in human rights violations.