A far-left politician in France, irritated by a comedian's jokes, referred to a method of assassination. Her counselors say it was a joke
Sophia Chikirou, the candidate of the France Nesupusa party for the mayor of Paris. PHOTO: Vincent Isore / imago stock&people / Profimedia
A politician from the France Unsubdued party threatened a comedian with a “Kabyle smile”, an expression describing a method of killing by slitting the throat. Those close to her described the threat as “a joke”, Franceinfo and Le Parisien write.
A phrase uttered by the candidate of the radical leftist France Unsubdued (LFI) party for the mayor of Paris, Sophia Chikirou, caused concern amid political and social tensions in France, weeks before the municipal elections and about a year before the presidential polls.
The words were used by Chikirou on February 10, after a series of jokes directed at him during a discussion on the upcoming municipal elections, according to Franceinfo.
The discussion was preceded by a satirical portrait, made by comedian Adele Barbers, as in the case of candidates Pierre-Yves Bournazel (Horizons) and Emmanuel Grégoire (Party Socialiste).
After some jokes about the recent classification of the LFI as a far-left party by the Ministry of the Interior, the deputy interrupted the comedian and became particularly angry when she mentioned the rumors of her relationship with Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the party's leader. The candidate criticized the evocation of private life.
What is a “kabyle smile”
At the end of the humorous moment, Sophia Chikirou took the stage and also said, in a joking tone: “We're waiting for you on the way out, Adele.”
Then he added, “I gave him a Kabyle smile.” Receptive to the first joke, the audience did not react to the second line. Chikirou then asked the audience: “Who knows what a kabyle smile is here?”. One viewer responded: “It's not okay.”
According to historian Benjamin Stora, quoted by Franceinfo, the “Kabyle smile” refers to a method of killing by cutting the throat used by fighters of the National Liberation Front (FLN) during the Algerian war. The method was particularly widespread among the fighters of Kabyle, a region in northern Algeria.
A complicated moment
The belated release of the recording on February 17 sparked strong reactions, with the incident taking on a stronger connotation in the context of the killing of nationalist activist Quentin Deranque in Lyon on Saturday, February 14, by suspects linked to the far left.
The street killing of a far-right activist sends shockwaves through already tense France. Among the suspects, the assistant of a parliamentarian of the radical left
A French parliamentary assistant who worked for a member of parliament from the France Insubordinate party is among seven people charged with murder following the activist's death.
Lyon city prosecutor Thierry Dran said the murder charges against the seven were brought after Deranque, a 23-year-old activist, died last weekend in a clash with far-left activists.
“a joke”
Chikirou's campaign team insisted in a discussion with Franceinfo that the phrase uttered by the candidate “was a joke and that it is regrettable to turn it into a disproportionate polemic”.
“The comedian was great and Sophia really appreciated the sketch. The actress herself admitted at the end of the meeting that certain passages were inappropriate and apologized to Sophia,” the candidate's team also stated.
Asked about the subject, by Le Parisien, the comedian Adele Barbers had a different position. “It's not like that. I'm not apologizing for the things I said. I just said I'm sorry if I hurt her,” she said.
