French far-right star compares praying Muslims to Nazi occupiers

[pampango]

Source: Reuters



Marine Le Pen has put paid to the idea she would put a softer face on France’s National Front for elections in 2012 with anti-Muslim comments that have aroused a storm of criticism. Le Pen, the likely next far-right challenger for the French presidency, compared overflowing mosques in France with the Nazi occupation — remarks indicative of a drift to the right in parts of Europe that could let the National Front eat into support for the ruling conservative UMP party in 2012.

Given support of 12 to 14 percent in recent opinion polls, Marine Le Pen is regarded as more electable than her father, who was convicted in 1990 for inciting racial hatred. But her remarks suggest that far from moderating the party line, she will go all out to outgun conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy to secure the slice of the French electorate that opposes high immigration.

“The National Front has changed: it’s more dangerous than before,” said an editorial in the left-leaning Liberation daily after mainstream politicians and Muslim leaders slammed Le Pen’s comments. “Given a lick of paint by Marine, xenophobia is back in the spotlight.”

On Thursday, she told a party meeting that after a steady rise in the number of Islamic veils and burqas worn in France, home to five million Muslims, the crowds praying outside mosques were akin to an occupation. Her remarks chime with a growing right-wing mood among voters in Europe, where far-right parties are taking up worries that high immigration facilitates Islamic fundamentalist terror cells and makes tight labour markets even tighter. Since France banned burqas, which cloak a woman’s face and body, calls for bans have been heard elsewhere in Europe, most loudly in the Netherlands where populist politician Geert Wilders wants to tighten rules on immigration and ban the Koran.

Read more: http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2010/12/14/french-far-right-star-compares-praying-muslims-to-nazi-occupiers/

[Democracyinkind]

1. Vichy reloaded.

Or rather, just like in Spain, England, the US, Switzerland and the whole of Eastern Europe: Nazism never stopped loading.

They might be scarier than in years before but at least the FN is such a fringe group that if it tried to pull anything it would be ripped apart by the anger coming from the Banlieues.

Still, France is not taking a healthy direction. Surely Segolene Royal (what an unfitting name for a social democrat, and in france no less, lol) wouldn't have lured the creeps out of the woods like SarKOTZy did.

[uppityperson]

2. Le Pen is an asshole, like her father. Unfortunately, there are xenophobes in France.

Regulating religious worship is not right, unless it is directly harming people (for instance ritual sacrifice).

[krabigirl]

3. Yes, there are many there, but also many who think lepen and his daughter are sick pigs.

[KamaAina]

4. Le Pew reproduced?!

:puke:

Too bad they don't have that mandatory condom use law like Sweden. :eyes: