Gims: the controversy of the happy new year continues

MASTER GIMS. On Instagram, rapper Gims had asked his Muslim “brothers” not to celebrate the New Year, Christmas or birthdays, sparking a vast controversy.

[Mis à jour le 06 janvier 2022 à 12h03] Around the statements of Gims, the controversy does not fall. On Saturday January 1, the French rapper unleashed a wave of indignation by asking, in several videos posted on Instagram, his Muslim “brothers” to stop wishing him a happy new year during this holiday season. explaining that these wishes were against their values. Reactions and accusations of communitarianism did not take long, splashing the passage of Valérie Pécresse, presidential candidate, who had received the support of Gims during his campaign for the regional elections.

Asked about this controversy Monday January 3 on RMC, the Minister Delegate in charge of citizenship Marlène Schiappa called on the candidate for the Elysee to explain. What Valérie Pécresse ended up doing on Tuesday in the program C à Vous on France 5. “These words are all I am fighting: communitarianism. It is to deny our calendar holidays. It is to be to fall back on a religious community. I was disappointed because I had never heard Gims communitarise his speech “, argued Valérie Pécresse.

Gims therefore received a call from his favorite candidate, unhappy with the controversy over his remarks: “I called him to tell him. And he told me he was sorry. I think he did not want to hurt, but for me, it is a separatist speech and I cannot help but condemn it and say it to his face “.

On Instagram and Twitter, Gims is controversial

Saturday January 1, a few hours after the start of 2022, the controversy around Gims arose after he posted several videos in his Instagram story. “Please, with the Happy New Years, New Years, leave me, you know I never replied to that, and you keep sending me until January, February (… ) In addition, the Muslims, we have the same conviction, stop with that. It’s the Muslims who send me that, most of the time. The brothers, don’t do that “, loose Gims in this video which quickly made the turn of social networks and, inevitably, triggered a controversy.

“Come on, let’s focus on our own stuff. Let’s stay strong on our values,” he concluded. These remarks, accused of communitarianism by many Internet users and various commentators, aroused a lively controversy and made anonymous, politicians or personalities of all stripes react. Among these reactions, that of young Mila, victim of harassment and death threats since 2020 and her comments on Islam. “Gims who despises his fans who wish him a happy New Year with kindness, I am ashamed to have listened to such an intolerant Islamist rapper in my adolescence”, writes the young woman on Twitter.

Zemmour, Booba, Lââm … Cascading reactions

When Eric Zemmour tackle him too, on Twitter, the president of the Île-de-France region, Robert Ménard, for his part denounces “the dumbest, most filthy communitarianism” of the words of Gims. Another French rapper, who is used to clashes, also reacted to the controversy: Booba. “Gims, great clown without a desk that you are!” Writes the Duke on Twitter, relaying in passing messages calling for a boycott of the author of I pull myself. And to add, relaying a video of Gims during the New Year’s Eve of France 2 in 2020: “Ah on the other hand to take a ticket on the Christian holidays you’re there my bastard.”

Another reaction in the music industry is the singer Lââm, also of Muslim faith. “I wish Gims a Happy New Year … in a nursing home for a year (…) Too much success kills success,” she says on Instagram, in a post that has since been deleted.