David Guiraud (LFI) accused of anti-Semitism due to a tweet?

A reference to the One Piece manga could have cost LFI MP David Guiraud dearly at the start of the week on X (ex-Twitter). Some Internet users wrongly denounced the anti-Semitic nature of his intervention.

LFI deputy David Guiraud quickly put out the fire. The rebellious elected official published this Sunday, December 31, 2023 on X (ex-Twitter) a reference to the One Piece manga, interpreted as a message anti-Semitic by some Internet users. A tweet quickly deleted by the main party who claims not to want to “offend anyone”. In question, “celestial dragons”, famous manga characters who have become an expression on social networks for publishing messages of an anti-Semitic nature, in order to slip through the cracks by avoiding the barriers of automatic moderation tools.

An expression distorted from its original meaning

Faced with the growing controversy, the elected official preferred to cut it short and avoid unnecessary excitement. Especially since this reference was totally diverted from its original meaning. Explanations. “Celestial Dragons are not a religion or a ‘race’ and if you think so you have misread One Piece. They are a military alliance of powerful people who crush others. They are not hated for what they are, but for what they do to others” indicated David Guiraud on In reality, in One Piece, the celestial dragons are protected by the strong arm of the government and can free themselves from the rules. No link with terrorism, therefore, even if these creatures have unfortunately been associated with anti-Semitic clichés often relayed on social networks. In November 2022, the expression “dog whistle” even saw the light of day, “dog whistle” in French. In other words, an expression that has nothing to do with its original definition.