Posted on 02/21/2007 3:34:53 PM PST by Cincinna
French far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen has dismissed the September 11, 2001 attacks as an "incident", saying the death toll of 3 000 was equal to the number of people killed in Iraq in a month.
Le Pen made the comment in an interview published on Wednesday with the Catholic newspaper La Croix during which he praised Islamic leaders for condemning the attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon.
"The September 11 event, or one could say incident, prompted a certain number of people to distance themselves (from Islamic extremism) to avoid falling under the barrage of accusations that was then unleashed," said Le Pen.
Commenting on the death toll from the attacks, Le Pen said: "3 000 dead, that is how many die in Iraq in a month and it's far less than the deaths in the Marseille or Dresden bombings at the end of the Second World War."
The National Front leader said the World War II bombings were "also terrorist acts as they expressly targeted civilians to force military leaders to capitulate".
Le Pen, 78, stunned the nation when he qualified for the second round of voting against Jacques Chirac in the 2002 presidential election with nearly 17% of votes.
He is taking part in his fifth and undoubtedly last presidential campaign ahead of the April-May election.
The far-right leader was convicted of Holocaust denial after he declared in 1987 that the gas chambers used by Nazi Germany to exterminate Jews were a "detail in the history of World War II".
What do they have in common? A shared hatred of Jews and Israel, and by extention, the USA.
How true, we should have all surrendered like the French in 6 weeks in 1940 to spare all civilians - except French Jews, of course, whom most of the French turned in with no moral qualms.
This may turn into a French bashing thread, but could people please refrain from posting worn-out jokes about Germans marching under Paris trees, and French unused rifles for sale? I've read 'em for years and it gets old.
Even right wing Frenchmen are idiots. Is there an intelligent politician in all of France?
Well, at least Marcel Marceau never speaks. (Except for the one line in "Silent Movie", of course)
He's crazy.
I'm going to miss French wine after the Muslims complete their takeover of France.
I think French wines are over rated anyway.Plenty of really excellent wines produced in this country now,forget the French.
Forget Iran. Let's just head to France next.
I'll bet if Le Pen's goatsmelling, French @$$ was in one of those planes or in one of the WTC buildings he'd think of it as being more than an "incident."
Don't worry, as long as there's a Frenchman alive, they'll still keep whining...
Yep, California wines are so much better than French wines. Buying French is a waste of money.
France is an old harlot.
As it is, all the Muzzies do is burn 3,000 cars a week in France, so no problem. After all, they are mostly French cars so aren't worth getting much disturbed about.
It's not like the Islamists are marching down the Champs Elysées in hobnailed boots with flags flying or something. If that were the case, they might a consider a letter of protest. Or maybe not.
Jean-Marie,
I remember reading about the "incident" in France that began in May, 1940. You know, that time the Wehrmacht drove through France to the English Channel, and you guys surrendered.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.