No Laughing Matter

Evenko recently scored kudos from a Jewish advocacy group in Montreal, Quebec, after pulling the plug on a string of dates with a controversial comedian.

Dieudonné M’Bala M’Bala, a French comedian who’s drawn criticism for making anti-Semitic statements, had been scheduled to perform at the Theatre Corona May 14-17.

Evenko told the Montreal Gazette it was canceling the shows over “contractual conflicts” May 11 and advocacy group B’nai Brith Canada followed up the news with a statement to the paper.

“We are happy that Evenko and Corona Theatre management have decided to remove the public platform from this individual who spreads racism under the guise of humour, and to recognize that such conduct is unacceptable in Quebec,” B’nai Brith President Moïse Moghrabi wrote.

Dieudonné’s current show allegedly includes “a litany of anti-Semitic comments,” Holocaust denial and calls Hitler “a nice boy,” according to several reviews.

He was recently stopped mid-performance in Brussels after police determined the subject matter of his show contravened local laws.