French far-right party founder fined for downplaying Holocaust
PARIS (JNS.org) The founder and former leader of France’s far-right National Front party, Jean-Marie Le Pen, has been fined for denying crimes against humanity over a remark he made that the Nazi gas chambers are just a “detail” of World War II history.
In April 2015, Le Pen told BFMTV, “Gas chambers were a detail of the war, unless we accept that the war is a detail of the gas chambers.” Le Pen has made similar comments over the course of several decades. This latest statement created a feud between Le Pen and his daughter Marine, who is currently heading the National Front party and is trying to distance the party from its history of anti-Semitism. The elder Le Pen was subsequently suspended from the party.
France criminalizes denying crimes against humanity, especially Holocaust denial. Le Pen has been fined $34,000, in addition to $11,400 in damages payable to three associations that were plaintiffs in the case. (Preceding provided by JNS.org)
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Jewish community to boycott Croatia’s Holocaust commemoration
ZAGREB, Croatia (WJC) — The Jewish community of Croatia will not participate in the country’s official Holocaust commemoration in protest against the Croatian government’s inaction against growing neo-Nazi activity in the country.
The Coordinating Committee of the Jewish Communities of Croatia will instead hold its own remembrance at the site of the former Nazi German death camp Jasenovac later this week. The government will hold a commemoration next week.
Jewish officials are accusing Croatia’s new right-wing government of ignoring open public resurgence of anti-Semitism, including pro-Nazi slogans chanted by Croatian fans during a soccer match between Croatia and Israel last month.
Tens of thousands of Jews, Serbs and Gypsies died in death camps run by the Nazi puppet state of Croatia during World War II. It is estimated that 30,000 Jews were murdered during the existence of the so-called Independent State of Croatia, most of them in the Jasenovac camp.
Croatian President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic said Croatia should unite “over the fundamental values of the society, in this case over the commemoration of the death of the innocent Jasenovac victims. (Preceding provided by the World Jewish Congress)
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