Madonna aims at Le Pen again
Despite warnings the singer showed an image of the FN leader again in her last concert in France – minus the swastika
MADONNA has courted controversy again by once again showing an image of Marine Le Pen at her last concert in France – but with a question mark superimposed on her face instead of a swastika.
Le Pen’s Front National (FN) party said last month it was lodging a defamation claim against the singer after a montage of images projected during a performance at Tel Aviv, Israel was reused in Paris, despite warnings from the party.
The display, accompanying the song Nobody Knows Me, allegedly associated Le Pen with the Nazis by briefly showing a swastika on the forehead of the far-right party’s leader. However lawyers for the singer have argued that it was a reversed version of the symbol, that has positive associations in Eastern religions.
The FN said before last night’s final French concert in the MDNA tour, that there would be “consequences” if the alleged slur was repeated again. Party leaders accused Madonna of not understanding French politics or the concept of democracy.
Le Pen insists her anti-immigration policies are not motivated by racism, but economic realities.
In Nice FN activists pasted pictures of Le Pen on top of posters for the concert in the run up to the event.
Ticket sales for the tour have reportedly been disappointing, and the Nice mairie is said to have offered seats to its staff so as to fill up empty spaces.
