Talk:Quenelle (gesture)

Confusing image
The image of the man displaying the 'quenelle' is far too similar to the Zogist salute and does not look like the 'quenelle' in the slightest

Better picture
If thats a REVERSE nazi-salute, then shouldn't that logically mean 'quenelle' is a PRO-semitic gesture? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2001:E68:4000:15:E4A9:26C5:9E2F:9DE2 (talk) 00:43, 31 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Read the context then. Tátótát (talk) 15:21, 31 December 2013 (UTC)

Why put a picture here of M'Bala M'Bala? Wouldn't it be much more relevant to put a picture of the quenelle gesture? Well... if it would be ok to illustrate it that is. Also: I am missing an explanation of why Anelka was using it. In the context of the article, it seems he was using a Nazi salutation, which seems weird coming from a player whose family comes from Martinique. I am putting some short explanation. Ben T/C 13:15, 29 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Ok, I am backing up. I have it clearer now after reading short background pieces. The article has been pointing to good news sources, however without expressing M'Bala M'Bala's political convictions, the article didn't make sense to me. I've added it so now the story about Anelka makes sense to me and the picture is meaningful, as well. Ben T/C 13:26, 29 December 2013 (UTC)
 * I now know what gesture to make if I ever find myself in the unfortunate position of having to stand next to Jimmy Wales. :)
 * Enterely wright with Ben TC ! It 's just advertising for Dieudonné M'Bala, M'Bala ! 86.218.79.168 (talk) 14:27, 29 December 2013 (UTC)

I have removed the image of the comedian for the moment, it appears that this gesture has been used by many people, so placing just one proponent of it here is undue. The Rambling Man (talk) 14:36, 29 December 2013 (UTC)
 * He invented the gesture, it appears. Not that anything in the article (or in the French Establishment/Zionist propaganda) actually explains what the gesture means. Hint: darned vets - anti-Semites all of them, for years they have been doing secret "reverse Nazi salutes" up the backsides of cows. So, like many gestures, this one also has an explicit sexual reference as its origin. I wonder if the gesture arose from said activity being specifically popular in France. If so, we can be thankful it's not derived from Germany or Japan (shudder at what we could have got). — Preceding unsigned comment added by 46.64.188.96 (talk) 15:28, 29 December 2013 (UTC)
 * I placed it due to sources claiming that he invented the gesture. That seemed due. Tátótát (talk) 16:01, 29 December 2013 (UTC)

Alain Soral
It's writen here and also in the french newspaper Le Parisien. Thanks 86.218.79.168 (talk) 14:45, 29 December 2013 (UTC)

Barack Obama
It's shown here. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 46.64.188.96 (talk) 15:41, 29 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Article, dated sept 2012, about the event where the photo was taken []. I guess the gesture was referring to what the $4 million will help do to Republicans. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 46.64.188.96 (talk) 16:03, 29 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Considering it's not the same gesture, I don't think it should be included in the article. The four people in the picture would seem to doing a dance move - dusting off their shoulders. Let's spare the politics on this one. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Mvblair (talk • contribs) 20:22, 30 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Dieudonne has a tremendous amount of fan support. They comb through pictures looking for people who do his gestures and post them on fan pages, which are inevitably picked up by tabloids or blogs.  Then the joke is continued when official press releases appear denying an intention quenelle. Love him or hate him Dieudonne is very talented. Actually some of his fan humor is as good or better than his.  Geo8rge (talk) 00:11, 13 January 2014 (UTC)
 * Ridiculous : that's a 'brushing dirt off my shoulder' gesture used in a rap song - JAY Z - "Dirt Off Your Shoulder".
 * Might as well accuse those that put hand-on-heart singing The Star-Spangled Banner.
 * Usnationalanthemcrowd.jpg.]]
 * --195.137.93.171 (talk) 06:48, 30 January 2014 (UTC)

Category:Antisemitism in France
Just looking for approval before adding this category. The fact that people have made this gesture in front of places of sensitivity for Jews would suggest that in some contexts, there is an undeniable antisemitism to it. Tátótát (talk) 16:06, 29 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Sounds reasonable to me. The Rambling Man (talk) 16:10, 29 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Me too 86.218.79.168 (talk) 16:48, 29 December 2013 (UTC)

If you search the French google content (by typing 'google.fr' into your browser',> 'images' and typing 'quenelle', you'll see how few of them are actually near any 'Jewish' or 'Jewish Holocaust' sites in France.

I'd also point out that the hostility towards Israel and its government is based on the way they have treated Black African refugees (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPxv4Aff3IA for example). Having been treated in this way, I imagine many have a deep dislike of Israel. You should include this for balance.79.74.109.166 (talk) 23:28, 13 January 2014 (UTC)twl79.74.109.166 (talk) 23:28, 13 January 2014 (UTC)

Category:Nazism
The fact that this sign was not used by the Third Reich would suggest a more specific categorisation into Neo-Nazism Tátótát (talk) 16:08, 29 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Go for it. The Rambling Man (talk) 16:10, 29 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Nazi's are taking their lead from a Black man? Geo8rge (talk) 00:25, 13 January 2014 (UTC)

Image
Does this image of Dieudonne donning a shirt with the word "quenelle" pertain to the gesture or the food? Plot Spoiler (talk) 01:23, 30 December 2013 (UTC)
 * I've added the image. He is in fact promoting his "quenelle épaulée". I've also added a gallery section of a man performing the quenelle in New York City in 2012, in front of the hotel where French-Jewish politician Dominique Strauss-Kahn allegedly attempted to rape a hotel housekeeper. Would be beneficial if somebody could take a close-up image of themselves performing the quenelle (no face needed, just the hand gesture), for illustrative purposes. Plot Spoiler (talk) 01:58, 30 December 2013 (UTC)

Why don't you Plot Spoiler? Rather than inciting others to perform the gesture?149.241.202.235 (talk) 21:30, 20 January 2014 (UTC) Removed a picture of the d*mb making quenelle. Wikipedia is not a place to promote this junk. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.218.3.226 (talk) 07:28, 31 December 2013 (UTC)

Quenelle Right or Left arm?
All the pictures I see they use their Right hand and point to the Left Shoulder, oposite of what the article says! 70.209.2.227 (talk) 02:58, 30 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Either, depending on whether you are right-handed ?
 * --195.137.93.171 (talk) 07:04, 30 January 2014 (UTC)

Scale on arm?
I'm missing some explanation as to what the scale on the arm pointed to means, and what the words at the top of the arm mean. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.73.74.92 (talk) 19:31, 31 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Based on what I gather reading anonymous message board posts the numbers range from 20 to 200 and correspond to artillery calibers. .  The word on top is épaulée which means shouldered and also an effort in which you put your shoulder into meaning put the most effort into.  Both meanings make sense.  I pulled this off a message board "glisser une quenelle de 175 ou une quenelle epaulee" which is slide a quenelle of 175 or a quenelle you put your shoulder into(maximum effort).  These are very slangy expressions so their meaning and grammar are fluid.  I hate to point out that all this is very clever in a childish way.  Some English speaking commentators think he is just a vulgar anti semite filling in for his lack of talent with anti semitic remarks.  He is a very clever and funny wordsmith.  Geo8rge (talk) 23:48, 12 January 2014 (UTC)

D'uh. It's how far up said orifice the fist is going. All the way to the shoulder, maybe. Lol 90.214.199.198 (talk) 18:14, 21 January 2014 (UTC)

Quenelle popular with the neo nazis in Europe?
"The quenelle has become popular with the far-right and neo-Nazis in Europe" The source said "what is undoubtedly true is that the quenelle was quickly seized on by neo-Nazis, and has become for them a useful replacement for the Nazi salute" Sorry, but that's not true. There is no image of quenelle ​​made by neo-Nazis. The neo-Nazis in Europe do not even know what's quenelle ( invented by an half Cameroonian ) thats ridiculous ... The quenelle is using mainly by young french muslims or immigrant. No french source'm mentions that quenelle is popular in neo nazis groups/far right group... — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2A01:E34:ECB7:5030:211D:5835:BB47:3DB5 (talk) 22:31, 1 January 2014 (UTC)
 * It would be useful if you could share one of those sources here so it can be incorporated into the article, thanks. Plot Spoiler (talk) 22:36, 1 January 2014 (UTC)
 * What source? No french source'm mentions that quenelle is popular in neo nazis groups of Europe/far right group that all.
 * I'm speaking about sources that mention immigrants/French muslims. Plot Spoiler (talk) 22:43, 1 January 2014 (UTC)
 * Qui fait ce geste ? "Qui fait ce geste ? Un temps connue seulement par les fans de Dieudonné, la quenelle s'est véritablement popularisée ces derniers mois, pour finalement devenir un mème, une image issue de la sphère publique, reprise et détournée massivement par les internautes." or Qui pratique la "quenelle" or Un public jeune et mélangé The website notes that the public is young, of Muslim youth, youth from immigrant and far-right political activists. The  quenelle are made by fans of Dieudonné. And the fans are very mixed. No mentions of neo nazi groups of Europe etc ...  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Alonsodono (talk • contribs) 23:01, 1 January 2014 (UTC)
 * Thanks, will work to incorporate. Plot Spoiler (talk) 23:04, 1 January 2014 (UTC)
 * These sources do not say that the quenelle is popular among the "young, of Muslim youth, youth from immigrant and far-right political activists." Not saying it's necessarily untrue, but needs to be verifiable per WP:V. Plot Spoiler (talk) 23:16, 1 January 2014 (UTC)
 * Sources say who makes this gesture ... It cannot be made more clear than that... — Preceding unsigned comment added by Alonsodono (talk • contribs) 23:19, 1 January 2014 (UTC)
 * Perhaps I overlooked it. Can you pull out the direct French phrasing and say which article it came from. Plot Spoiler (talk) 23:30, 1 January 2014 (UTC)
 * Dieudonne is popular with all French, that is why he fills all the venues he plays. It is very unlikely neo nazi's will approve of a guy with a White mother and Black African father.  If you are interested in the neo nazi zeitgeist try message boards like Stormfront (website) Geo8rge (talk) 00:21, 13 January 2014 (UTC)

Very Bad BIASED Article
The first time Dieudonné did it in public WAS NOT in 2009 but much earlier (check the videos of quenelle in youtube, it will go as back as 2005). It s totally unfair to associate its first appearance with an alleged antisemitic political action which was only a joke. Every time in his show when he expresses an italian salute (give the arm, iberian slap..) he does this because it goes even further as you can imagine. It s just an obscene gesture.

Why people are only choosing the interpretation of one fringe of the society is just baffling. Sad to say but Wikipedia is a propagandist machine. No control whatsoever. At the end he managed to show us that the joke is out there, not in the stage, but the reaction about this joke is totally unbelievable. A reversed nazi salute ?? Are you kidding me ? Have you seen one of his sketch ?? He s genius for doing that : exposing the corruptible nature of the media and the politics. And he got lots of free publicity, lots of people want to see him now.

And guys again, you should be ashamed of yourself. The truth is not your interpretation of truth, just put down WHAT IS KNOWN, nothing else. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.254.156.9 (talk) 09:26, 4 January 2014 (UTC)


 * Welcome! If you have a link to a news report or other source showing earlier usages of the quenelle gesture, please include them here.
 * This is the video the OP is likely refering to - PREMIERE Quenelle de Dieudonné (1905), go to 8:09 Dieudonne's First QUenelle Geo8rge (talk) 00:03, 13 January 2014 (UTC)
 * Wikipedia is about dialog, consensus, and community. Won't you please help out by suggesting ways to improve the quality of this article?  If you're not familiar with Wikipedia, please check out the basic principles, called the Five Pillars of Wikipedia, noting especially the 4th one, which will get you a better reception here than you otherwise might ;-).
 * One last thing: it's customary to "sign" your Talk page comments using four tildes, like this:  ~  - if you do that, Wikipedia will automatically enter a signature line for you, like the one you see at the bottom of this entry. Also, please consider signing up with a free Wikipedia account.  There is a registration tutorial that can walk you through that.
 * Hope to see you back with some constructive suggestions for improving this article!
 * Mathglot (talk) 06:58, 9 January 2014 (UTC)

Nazi salute not forbidden in France
Nazi uniforms and insignia are forbidden in France by the article R645-1 of the Code pénal but it does not forbid Nazi salute. The sentence "In France, displaying Nazi symbols is illegal if done to cause offense, and the quenelle is viewed by some as an underhanded manner of expressing hatred for Jews without inviting legal prosecution." is misleading, so I suppressed it. Blaue Max (talk) 16:19, 11 January 2014 (UTC)
 * Article R645-1 does not forbid the Nazi salute, but the Nazi salute does run afoul of other French laws. France has a law against hate speech and inciting racial hatred, and making a Nazi salute could get a person into legal trouble there as a violation against those laws.QuizzicalBee (talk) 22:41, 11 January 2014 (UTC)
 * By definition a salute cannot be considered as a hate "speech"... Although I suppose that people performing Nazi salute could risk legal prosecution, the previous version of the text was misleading: Dieudonné doesn't display Nazi symbols at his shows and Nazi salutes are not directly forbidden. Blaue Max (talk) 09:59, 12 January 2014 (UTC)

Agree...French laws governing 'hate speech' only apply to the written and spoken word - not gestures. Which is why a Black Frenchman can score a winning goal and have to endure having a banana thrown at him, but can throw back a gesture. I hear his latest show has been banned, so he is coming back with a new show, which will feature what he describes now as 'Tai Chi' exercises....one will probably be a 'quenelle': are they going to be able to ban this gesture now it is an exercise routine? 79.74.109.166 (talk) 23:32, 13 January 2014 (UTC)twl79.74.109.166 (talk) 23:32, 13 January 2014 (UTC)

Pineapples and "Above is the sun"?
Should the article make reference to the use of the pineapple to amplify the effect of anal intromission ? Dieudo's song 'Shoananas' is a compound of the words for 'holocaust' and 'pineapple'.

I'm still trying to decode "Au-dessus, c’est l'soleil (il y a personne)". It's complex and obscure.

The animated gif obviously omits the sucking sound-effect, but the rutube helps. The puckered mouth that Slate interprets as rabbinical is known in French as "cul-de-poule" or fowl-anus. The image is one of tightness. Dieudo has many variations. A comment there says
 * "Basically when he does that is to say that what he speaks is above the law, as a picture of the director who is on the top floor. So it goes so high that above him there's nobody."

Mocking authority figures, religion or even God ?

Officially it is explained-away as 'Aim for the highest' or 'There is no-one greater', but those are still obscure. The alternating vertical and horizontal motions are reminiscent of one of the two stair-step lines of the Swastika, but that is as likely as the Quenelle being an inverted Nazi salute. It is associated with a thrusting, climbing or swimming movement, and ends by thrusting both hands downwards and apart, with a squeaking sound.

I suspect it symbolizes total penetration - traversing the entire gastro-intestinal tract and emerging into sunlight. It mimics struggles, diversions and eventual victory. Re-birth / Renaissance. Maybe that's just something Freudian in me ? I doubt if we will ever find a reliable source. Any other ideas ?

--195.137.93.171 (talk) 07:51, 30 January 2014 (UTC)
 * No, it's conspiracy stuff. It's code for "but we can't talk about that, they won't let us. Mezigue (talk) 09:17, 30 January 2014 (UTC)

-- Hello I am french speaker from birth and I have grow up following Dieudonne since the 90's, so here is the definition of "Au dessus c'est le soleil": It is a way to mock the Zionist empire by saying that basically above them there is nobody, that we are attacking the highest most sacred thing. Please keep in mind that Dieudonne also joke about the Judeo-Zionist empire. His best friend jackie is jewish and his ex college Elie Semoun is also jewish. He also made appearance with Jews on public but those were not covered by the media. Fabulous801 (talk) 01:32, 17 March 2014 (UTC)
 * The Semoun and Dieudonné partnership split up in part because of Dieudonné's antisemitism according to the Élie Semoun page. It also indicates that there will not be a reconciliation because of it: "In 2012, Semoun declared that the Dieudonné he knew and the Dieudonné of today appear to him like two completely different people, and he is unable to reconcile them in his mind" so it is a little disingenuous to try and use Dieudonné's association with Semoun to try and prove that he is not an antisemite. Clivel 0 (talk) 20:04, 3 April 2014 (UTC)

The focus of the article is inappropriate
I have strong concerns about reliable sources and undue weight in this article (Reliable_sources_and_undue_weight). The lead of this article focusing almost entirely on the "technical" aspects of the gesture (how it is performed) and almost totally elides any mention of the social/political aspects of the gesture, which are what makes it notable and controversial.

I also think the lead image in this article is quite out of place, since it shows someone making the quenelle gesture at an extreme significant location, where it is simply loaded with antisemitic meaning (the site of a scandal involving the Jewish politician Dominique Strauss-Kahn) and yet the article has not even introduced this interpretation yet.

Compare, for example, the lead of the Roman salute article, which prominently features the gesture's adoption and significance in the context of fascism.

I plan to edit the article to refocus it. —Moxfyre (ǝɹʎℲxoɯ &#124; contrib) 21:34, 16 June 2014 (UTC)

Quenelle d'or -- not notable
I dispute the encyclopedic value of this paragraph, which was recently re-added:

"Each year, the "Golden Quenelle" (Quenelle d'Or) is given, in a parody of the Oscar ceremony, to the people who have expressed the most anti-establishment views. People who have received a Quenelle d'Or include Robert Faurisson and Alain Soral. Nicolas Anelka was the nominee for the 2014 "Golden Quenelle" and Mathieu Deplagne received it in 2013."

The quenelle d'or is a promotional act by Dieudonné, and does not appear to have any reliably-sourced social significance beyond its promotional value. It's hardly mentioned in reliable sources; the annual repetition and intended target of the parody are not mentioned at all. As such, it's not appropriate for Wikipedia. —Moxfyre (ǝɹʎℲxoɯ &#124; contrib) 16:21, 17 June 2014 (UTC)

Quenelle Dance
Hi, the Quenelle is also a funny dance and viral video on by Chris Denegro, available on YT. Is this notable? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.52.180.114 (talk) 06:51, 15 January 2015 (UTC)

Hatnote
I removed the hatnote pointing to Quenelle as it is not required: the disambiguator "(gesture)" makes the article title unambiguous. However I was reverted without explanation. What is the reason for reverting my edit and how would a reader conceivably arrive at this article if they were looking for the food dish? Thanks. --Jameboy (talk) 15:17, 13 July 2020 (UTC)
 * Restored your version. Thanks, Mathglot (talk) 18:17, 13 July 2020 (UTC)