growing fascism in Europe
Many people are angry after Marine Le Pen’s latest comments on the Holocaust, which clearly echoed the rise of fascism in modern-day Europe. Just two weeks before the first round of voting, the French presidential candidate tried to convince voters that the National Front – her far-right party – has gone through a modernization process with her at the helm. But Le Pen’s statements concerning France’s involvement in the Holocaust have not only caused outrage and criticism from her political rivals, but from the Israeli government, as well. According to Le Pen, France was not responsible for the deportation of Jews during the Nazi occupation. As she said in at interview for French broadcaster LCI, Le Figaro and RTL on Sunday referring to the German-ordered roundup by French police of 13,000 Jews in July 1942:
“I don’t think France is responsible for the Vel d’Hiv… I think that generally speaking if there are people responsible, it’s those who were in power at the time. It’s not France. France has been mired in people’s minds for years. In reality, our children are taught that they have every reason to criticize her, to see only the darkest historical aspects. [I] want them to be proud to be French again.”
“I don’t think there were that many deaths [during the Holocaust]. There weren’t 6 million. There weren’t mass murders as it’s been reported.”
