The Madonna swastika.

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail....-Pen-Swastika-it.html

Has Marine Le Pen, got a case against Madonna?

[ll_billym]

As for whether he has a case or not comes down to the letter of the law but frankly by simply responding to this Le Pen is basically admitting that there is legitimate grounds for the comparison, otherwise he could just laugh it off.

[sp1814]

AOG

Tricky one. Marine hasn't publicly said where she stands on her father's openly revisionist attitude to the Holocaust (describing the gas chambers as a 'detail of history', I believe), there are some within the Jewish community who believe her to be an anti-Semite:

http://www.jewishpres...h-bankers/2012/04/09/

I think what we must learn from this, is that Madonna is better than anyone in the history of popular music at getting attention.

I've been to all her concerts and witnessed her singing whilst wearing a crown of thorns on a crucifix, 'pleasuring' herself whilst dancers dressed as hermaphrodites 'attend' to her and include a dance routine where a Middle Eastern dancer rips off a burkha to perform a dance routine in a bra and panties.

Marine should've taken the high ground, issuing a statement saying that "Nazis were responsible for the greatest genocide known to Europe, and to use that imagery in a pop concert shames the memory of those who died".

That's me playing devil's advocate.

In reality, I'm overjoyed that Madonna has rattled Le Pen, and am thoroughly looking forward to seeing Madonna in all her glory in Hyde Park on Tuesday...

[emmie]

many people believe that Marine Le Pen is Anti Semitic, but that doesn't give Madonna the right to plaster a hated Nazi symbol across her picture. Suggest that if Madonna wanted to do something useful, stop singing, get into politics, make a difference that way.

[boxtops]

I think Madonna's made a wrong call on this one.

[emmie]

so do i, though she is a self publicist so perhaps that's all it is. I have never liked her much, Madonna that is, but i give her credit for her endurance.

[Kiki-frog]

em10 - ditto. Madonna is a self-publicist, and has always made a point of being outrageous.

[Gromit]

It is a symbol of peace. Very ancient.

[tonyav]

Yes kiki and it's made her very very rich !

[mushroom25]

//..am thoroughly looking forward to seeing Madonna in all her glory in Hyde Park on Tuesday..//

i trust she won't have the plug pulled on her, unlike mr springsteen....

[emmie]

Gromit, not when it's plastered across the face of Marine Le Pen. The inference is there to see.

If you listen to Le Pen's speeches, she ain't no wilting wallflower, and has as much subtlety as a sledgehammer. The family doesn't seem to be particularly enamoured of immigration, blacks, Jews, and so forth, but
Madonna shouldn't have done this.

[sp1814]

mushroom25

I have never been more interested in the BBC's weather pages, especially after the big Kylie/Jason reunion was rained out only last week.

Fortunately, Madonna sold her soul to the devil back in '84, in return for ever-lasting fame, so hopefully that will guarantee clement weather for the show.

Back to the original question - in a broader sense, pop stars should be wary of dabbling in politics. They always come off as naive dupes (think of Bono, Sting, Clapton and Bowie).

Madonna knows that all she has to do is ruffle some feathers and bang...she's in the papers again. There literally hasn't been a period during her 30 year career where she hasn't courted, massaged or slept with controversy.

...and the media (and we) play right into it every flipping time.

I raise a glass to her stamina, if not her vocal range.

[sp1814]

em10

She did something vaguely similar during her last tour. 

It was shortly before the US elections, and to my recollection, she had images of 'good' public figures (Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa) flashed up on a video screen next to Obama, and then 'bad' public figures (Hitler stands out) flashed up against an image of John McCain:

http://www.mtv.com/ne...-at-tour-opener.jhtml

The problem is (and many pop stars don't realise this) is that their audience don't give a rat's fart about their beliefs.

When Madonna starts 'politicking' the majority of the audience cheers, but in truth, all they want her to do is sing 'Papa Don't Preach'.

[emmie]

she should stick to singing.

[jno]

singers can make political comments if they want. At least she does it under her own name, unlike most ABers.

[emmie]

no one on here wishes for their ID's to be known, that is the point. This is not so much a political forum, though politics is discussed, but a very useful site, for crosswords, debates, banter, nothing more.

[jno]

there's a great deal of contentious stuff on AB (some of it from me), though less of it in Q&P, I must admit. And 99% of it is anonymous. I suspect very few would have the courage to to it under their own name as Madonna does.

You're looking a bit less kittenish than usual, em!

[sp1814]

jno

I'm afraid em10 has an avatar of an actor whom I have huge respect for, but from one of one of the few films I've walked out on.

[jno]

I saw the first one, didn't other with the other two. But congratulations to whoever thought of making a trilogy out of a theme park ride.

[FredPuli43]

She's hardly going to worry. The French courts aren't very hot on libel and only impose a small penalty which she could pay out of about one minute's earnings !

Anyway, Marine le Pen should be grateful for the publicity that she herself gets from this. A big opportunity for her to get herself in the papers presents itself.