Quenelle des quenelles

It sounds better than ‘Dumpling of dumplings’ – although the English translation might be more apt as far as my silhouette is concerned. But let’s stick with the French for now…

Following my participation at last month’s Forum de l’Europe, it was suggested that I should perform at this year’s Bal des Quenelles – an annual celebration every Summer Solstice at the country residence of France’s best known comic and inventor of the Quenelle, Dieudonné. I waited patiently for confirmation and was rewarded with the offer of a 15-minute first-half slot, all expenses paid and a VIP backstage pass.

Two days before I was due to take the Eurostar to Paris, the mayoress of St-Lubin-de-la-Haye – a nondescript liberal feminist author – threatened to shut down the event, predictably citing ‘anti-Semitism’ and the risk of a breach of the peace. Dieudonné responded with typical defiance and humour. The mayoress’s letter was in fact a thinly disguised attempt to dissuade people from making the effort to attend: with the theme announced as a ‘Yellow Vests Special’ and an almost perfect weather forecast, the authorities’ frantic scaremongering was clearly intended to put a damper on things. But there was no doubt in my mind that Chabloz would go to the ball.

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