Anelka gesture condemned by European Jewish leader

The controversial striker has provoked an angry response in France and faces a lengthy ban in England if found guilty an alleged anti-Semitic goal celebration

European Jewish Congress president Moshe Kantor has claimed that the gesture Nicolas Anelka made at Upton Park on Saturday was "merely a lesser known Nazi salute".

The former France international caused controversy when he performed what is known in his homeland as 'la quenelle', after scoring the first of two goals in West Bromwich Albion's 3-3 draw with West Ham United.

Anelka later claimed on Twitter that he was simply paying tribute to his friend, comedian Dieudonne (real name M'Bala M'Bala), who has long maintained that the gesture is not anti-Semitic, but anti-establishment.

However, Kantor is adamant that the 'quenelle' cannot be construed as anything other than racist.

"This salute is merely a lesser known Nazi salute and we expect the same kind of punishment to be handed down by the authorities as if Anelka had made the infamous outstretched arm salute," he stated.

France's former minister of sport, Chantal Jouanno, also insisted that Anelka's actions were indefensible.

"The quenelle is a Nazi gesture, clearly anti-Semitic and known as such," she told Europe 1. "It's not worth arguing about interpretation. [Anelka] must be punished."

The quenelle is a controversial gesture in France and, on Friday, the country's interior minister, Manuel Valls, claimed that he was exploring the possibility of banning Dieudonne, who has been charged six times with making allegedly anti-Semitic remarks, from performing in public.

"Dieudonne has been repeatedly condemned for defamation, insult and incitement to racial hatred," he told Le Parisien. "He is a repeat offender and I intend to act with the greatest firmness, under the law."

The Football Association has already confirmed that an investigation into Anelka's celebration is under way, even though West Brom caretaker boss Keith Downing dismissed the furore as "rubbish".

"It is dedicated to a French comedian he knows very, very well. He uses it in his act and I think speculation can be stopped now, it is absolute rubbish really," Downing told reporters after the game at Upton Park.

Anelka, for his part, has since Tweeted a picture of United States of America president Barack Obama allegedly performing the 'quenelle' alongside rapper Jay-Z and singer Beyonce Knowles.