CRICCF stated that all they are seeking is an apology from Bob Dylan. Photograph: Marilyn Kingwill
Bob Dylan has been sued by a French-based Croatian community organisation for alleged racism. Representatives from the Council of Croats in France (CRICCF) have filed a complaint in connection with a 2012 interview where the singer drew a line between Croats and Nazis.
According to CRICCF secretary general Vlatko Maric, Parisian courts have accepted to hear their case and asked Dylan to appear as part of the hearing. "[Dylan's comments were] an incitement to hatred," Marić said in a statement. Although France has strict hate speech laws, CRICCF stated that all they are seeking is an apology.
Dylan's controversial remarks appeared more than a year ago, in a conversation with Rolling Stone's Mikal Gilmore. "[The United States] is just too fucked up about [skin] colour," Dylan said. "Blacks know that some whites didn't want to give up slavery – that if they had their way, they would still be under the yoke ... If you got a slave master or [Klu Klux] Klan in your blood, blacks can sense that. That stuff lingers to this day. Just like Jews can sense Nazi blood and the Serbs can sense Croatian blood."
Following the interview, several Croatian radio stations reportedly removed Dylan's songs from their playlists. The CRICCF brought forward their complaint in November 2012, naming Dylan as a defendant as well as Rolling Stone's French publisher. "We have nothing against Rolling Stone magazine or Bob Dylan as a singer," Maric said. "[But] you cannot equate Croatian [war] criminals with all Croats."
In 2010, Dylan played concerts both in Belgrade, Serbia and in Zagreb, Croatia. He previously visited Belgrade for a gig in 1991, just two weeks before Croatia declared independence from Yugoslavia.
Dylan was recently awarded France's Legion of Honour, the country's highest award.
0 comments:
Post a Comment