Bob Dylan Charged in France With Incitement to Hatred

By Aljazeera

03 December 13

Charges stem from a complaint by Croatian group about comments Dylan made allegedly comparing Croatians to Nazis

rench authorities have filed preliminary charges against Bob Dylan over a 2012 interview in which he is quoted comparing Croatians to Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan.

Paris prosecutor's office spokeswoman Agnes Thibault-Lecuivre said Tuesday the charges of "public insult and inciting hate" were filed in mid-November.

The charges stemmed from a lawsuit by a Croatian community group in France over an interview in Rolling Stone magazine. A lawyer for the Council of Croats in France (CRICCF), Ivan Jurasinovic, said they are not seeking monetary damages but only want the legendary singer to apologize to the Croatian people for the comments.

"We have nothing against Rolling Stone magazine or Bob Dylan as a singer," CRICCF spokesperson Vlatko Maric told the Guardian. "[But] you cannot equate Croatian [war] criminals with all Croats."

During the interview in question, published in September 2012, Dylan said that racism was holding America back and made a reference to Croations and Nazis to illustrate his point: "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, and they can't pretend they don't know that. If you got a slave master or (a Ku Klux) Klan (member) 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."

Maric did not say why they filed the case in France. France has strict laws punishing hate speech and racist remarks.

Representatives for Dylan could not immediately be reached for comment.