(JTA) — A French watchdog group filed a complaint against a rap artist it accuses of glorifying Mohammed Merah, who killed four at a Jewish school in Toulouse.
The National Bureau for Vigilance against Anti-Semitism, or BNVCA, filed the complaint with police this week against Elie Yaffa, better known in France by his stage name Booba, in connection with the lyrics of a song titled “Porsche Panamera.”
The video was removed from Booba’s official YouTube channel on Wednesday, the day BNVCA published a statement condemning the video.
Merah, who killed three children and a rabbi in March 2012, is mentioned twice in the song, which Booba performed with the rap group S.D.H.S Family.
“We’ll shoot anyone for a cause, Mohammed Merah,” the group sings. “Bang bang in your head, we’ll blow you away, we’re angry like Merah.”
Later they sing: “Allah Yerahmo [Arabic for ‘May Allah have mercy on him’], because only crime pays off.”
“Booba’s lyrics amount to endorsing the anti-Jewish and anti-French killer of Toulouse, who is clearly referenced,” Sammy Ghozlan of BNVCA told JTA.
Booba, the son of a Muslim father from Senegal, last year drew anti-Semitic social media attacks when a song he released called for vengeance for the victims of slavery and the Holocaust.
Booba has sold more than 1 million albums in France.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
