Le Pen Ultimate (Ha'aretz Interview of Le Pen)

Ha'aretz ^ | 2002.14.22 | Adar Primor

[N00dleN0gg1n]

Can you understand the complaints in Israel about the "hypocritical" European reaction?

"Certainly. After all, I got a similar reaction during the war in Algeria, when I served in General Massu's 10th division. We were called upon to fight the terrorism of the FLN (the Algerian nationalist movement that fought against French colonialism). The intelligentsia at home criticized our actions. It's very easy to criticize from the armchair in the living room. I completely understand the State of Israel, which is seeking to defend its citizens."

[kezekiel]

The French. What can you say?

[JAWs]

When the mainstream dare not discuss important issues directly, men like Le Pen will thrive.

[GeronL]

he is anti-american and somewhat anti-semitic - the guy doesn't sound too different from other politicians in France, so whats the big deal??

[dennisw]

If you want on or off me Israel/MidEast/Islamic Jihad ping list please let me know.  Via Freepmail is best way.............

[onedoug]

"Pierre De L'Briavsky" in reverse.

[FITZ]

but I believe it is just a detail in the history of World War II

Out of all the articles so far that I've read about Le Pen's anti-semitism, this is all I've seen of what he's said that documents it. Liberals are on the side of the Palestinians now against the Jews, even marching with them on Hitler's birthday here in the US so liberals have nothing to say anymore about anti-semitism, they've aligned with the worst anti-Jews there are.

[Valin]

His wealth of past statements do not leave much room for doubt. The biggest scandal arose in wake of a 1987 interview in which he was asked about the Nazi gas chambers: "I'm not saying that the gas chambers didn't exist. I couldn't see them myself. I haven't devoted any special study to the subject, but I believe it is just a detail in the history of World War II." When asked to elaborate about this "detail" in 1997, Le Pen explained: "If you take a thousand-page book about World War II, the concentration camps would take up two pages and the gas chambers would take up 10 to 15 lines. That's what I call a detail."

12,000,000 people gassed, shot, starved, worked to death, that's a heck of a detail buddy. If this guy is the cure for what's ailing France it seems to me the cure is as bad as the disease.

[Travis McGee]

Terrific interview!

He's much smarter than I thought: I had been led by the media to believe he was a drooler who would pound his shoe on a lecturn like Kruschev to make a point.

He's also more intellectually honest in stating his opinions than 99% of the weasel politicians we are cursed with in the USA.

[Travis McGee]

That's a very cold appraisal, but I believe he is looking at WW2 from an overall political-military perspectve. 20 million+ Russians died, a like number of Chinese, the war raged across three continents. I take it that he is saying the Holocuast should not be the main focus of a world war involving a billion people in 30 or 40 nations which killed something like 100 million.

Now perhaps LePen is wrong in his assessment that the Holocaust will only merit a few pages in a 1000 page history of WW2, but perhaps the exact count of pages dedicated to it is also "a detail" as he would say.

[Stavka2]

What? I like this guy. Le Pen doesn't seem half as nuts as the American media makes him out to be, let alone the EU media.

Le Pen sees himself making it to the second round of the elections. That is what he says in public, at least. According to his rosy scenario, he will win 19 percent in the first round, surpassing Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin (who will take 18 percent) and then, on May 5, run against Chirac (whom he predicts will get 22 percent in the first round). Most analysts are not ready to take this possibility seriously. Le Pen is too old, some say. He hasn't successfully reinvented himself, he's run out of steam -

Boy, aren't the experts feeling like a bunch of idiots?

[Stavka2]

Yup, so much for the American freedom of speech.

[kezekiel]

What? I like this guy. Le Pen doesn't seem half as nuts as the American media makes him out to be, let alone the EU media.

What's French is their reaction to him. This guy gets about 1 in 6 votes, the other 5 going to the Left, and now he's this chilling threat to France? Puh-LEEZE...

[wardaddy]

I'm not sure what to make of this guy. He says what he feels....sometimes from the hip. He obviously doesn't care for the North African invasion...he probably would not have given up Algeria. He seems a bit tactless about some Jewish issues. All I know for sure is that the left hates him. That alone is worth watching. If Chirac ends up having to deal with Le Pen as opposed to French commies then so much the better...IMHO.

[Travis McGee]

/1/ The left HATES him.

/2/ He clearly sees the danger in the muslim invasion ("in blue jeans") of Europe.

/3/ He understands and approves of Isreal's right to self defense.

Right there, I am for him.

[wardaddy]

I'll bump that.

[SauronOfMordor]

The Muslim veil - "It protects us from ugly women."