Free speech mystery: Combo the #COEXIST street artist attacked by toughs in Paris
To Paris, where Combo the artist has been beaten up. Combo is French born. His father is a Lebanese Christian father and his mother a Moroccan Muslim:
It seems like something one would be hard pressed to disagree with: the word “coexist,” written on a wall using a Muslim crescent as the letter “C,” a Star of David as the letter “X,” and a Christian cross as a “T.”
But in Paris, this particular iteration of the popular inscription—here, created by the street artist Combo, who also pasted a life-size photo of himself next to it—didn’t go down well with everybody. Le Monde reports that four young people asked the artist to remove it last weekend, and beat him up severely when he refused to do so.
Combo ended up with a dislocated shoulder and many bruises.
Nasty stuff. Who dunnit, Combo?
Combo declined to discuss the identity of his assailants. “It would only add fuel to the fire,” he told the French newspaper.
“I am deliberately being vague about the description of these cowards and where it all happened. To me, it doesn’t matter where they come from, what colour their skin is, what their religion or their political ideas are. In this context, all they represent is stupidity and ignorance.”
French street artist known as Combo was beaten by a group of Muslims in Paris
French Artist’s Calls For Peace End in Brutal Beating By Local Muslims
Coexist Street Artist Promoting Tolerance of Muslims Attacked by Muslims
French Graffiti Artist Beaten By #NotAllMuslims For ‘Coexist’ Tag
“First I thought I was French, but I quickly understood that I was Arab, then beur (French slang for second and third generation North African), now I’m told I’m Muslim.”
‘Nuff said.
Posted: 14th, February 2015 | In: Reviews Comment (1) | TrackBack | Permalink
