Twenty french theatres have come under fire for agreeing to host a one-man show by antisemitic comedian Dieudonné M'bala M'bala.

The show, titled The Impure Beast, features dirty jokes about Ilan Halimi, a Parisian who was tortured and murdered in 2006 because he was Jewish. Dieudonné is the inventor of the fascist quenelle gesture, which has been copied across Europe.

French Jewish umbrella group CRIF said in a statement: "We deplore the many theatres that chose to offer him a podium to disseminate his hatred of Jews and of those who criticise him."

CRIF singled out for condemnation the Fimalac event hall operator. Around one third of Dieudonné's 20 bookings across France are in theatres owned by Fimalac, CRIF said.