French comedian Dieudonne convicted for second time – in two days

€22,500 fine for predicting a Jewish radio presenter would end up in the gas chamber follows Wednesday's two months suspended prison sentence for Charlie Hebdo joke

The anti-Semitic French comedian Dieudonné M’bala M’bala was today convicted of inciting racial hatred – his second conviction in two days.

Dieudonné, 48 was fined €22,500 by a court in Paris for predicting that a Jewish radio presenter would end up in the gas chamber.

On Wednesday he was given a two months suspended prison sentence for saying on his Facebook page that he “felt like Amédy Coulibaly”, the man who murdered four people at a Jewish supermarket in Paris in January. He was convicted by a different court for “apology for terrorism”.

In both cases the judgements had been delayed after hearings in February.

The comedian was convicted of inciting racial hatred today for remarks that he made in his touring stage show about the radio presenter Patrick Cohen. He already has three similar convictions.

Dieudonné said: “You see, when it comes to him, when the wind turns, I’m not sure he’ll have time to pack his bags. When I hear Patrick Cohen talking, it reminds me, you see, of the gas chambers. Pity.”

During the trial, he said that he was responding to “racist attacks” by Mr Cohen who had called him “sick in the brain”,

“I am a comedian,” he said. “I don’t give history lessons.”

Next Tuesday Dieudonné also faces judgement in another trial – for having referred to the Prime Minister, Manuel Valls, as a “semi-Downs’ Syndrome Mussolini”.