Posted on 11/07/2018 3:50:13 PM PST by ameribbean expat
"He was a great soldier, it's a fact," Macron said, though he stressed that Petain had made "disastrous choices" during World War II.
His comments drew fierce criticism from rival politicians as well as Jewish leaders, reopening a painful chapter in France's history which continues to divide the nation decades on.
Francis Kalifat of the CRIF association of French Jewish groups said he was "shocked" by Macron's comments praising a leader who helped deport thousands of Jews to their deaths.
"The only thing we will remember about Petain is that he was convicted, in the name of the French people, of national indignity during his trial in 1945," Kalifat said in a statement.
(Excerpt) Read more at m.france24.com ...
Macron really didn’t like the idea, but his mommy told him to.
If he chose to honor Nazi collaborator Soros, that would be A-OK (to the media and the left).
Macroon gets is all wrong. No wonder his popularity is down.
What France should really do is release all the records that would identify the collaborators in WW II. The records were supposed to be released 50 years after, but given that they weren’t, I’m going to guess there would be a lot of blemished “heroes”
Was Petian fully culpable? He was trying to give his country a chance to survive what had been a nearly instant invasion and toppling of the French Government.
I can’t fully judge the man and can’t exonerate him, but to single him out when there are likely hundreds and thousands that willingly collaborated???
Tough call. He was a good general in impossible conditions in WWI, and then thought it better to head the rump France than to have Nazis rule directly. He was wrong, but understandably so.
I’m sort of with you on this. In addition to being a great WW I hero, I think it’s worth considering that he was also nearing his dotage around the time of WW II. He was born in 1856 (do the math to 1940... 84 years old). BTW, he died in 1951 at the age of 95.
As a student of military history, I can think of few more tragic figures than Marshal Petain.
On the other hand, Pierre Laval, was a pig, who deserved what he got.
Agreed
The Nazis were hoping they could mollify the French to point where they wouldn’t need to station so many troops in France, and could free them up for the Eastern Front.
What about his fantasies of becoming the Messiah? Doesn’t compute.
Macron has recently been saying that Europe needs to protect itself from Russia China and the USA. and develop their own army.
I’m not sure anymore as to whether it would be a bad thing for the Europeans to develop their own national defense.
In any case—toward that end
That’s why Macron went to Petan’s grave.
A European defense force would be primarily French and German.
-- Tom Lehrer, "MLF Lullaby," 1965
What a wackadoodle.
I agree but French Justice can be quixotic. Like blaming Bazaine for the losses in 1870 when it was McMahon all along.
The problem with your point is that it was made when the world was entirely different.
The world now is entirely different
Now the choice is between the huns and moslems.
If you put down the huns — you increase the moslems—not just in Europe but also in the USA.
Already the Europeans have made any criticism of allah into hate speech.
Is Eurabia good for Israel? Good for diaspora jews? good for Christians?
Maybe I’m wrong but it looks like there’s some kind of what goes around comes around thing going on here.
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