The Pat Buchanan of France
Gandalf Grey
'The veil? It protects us from ugly women'
On Sunday the rightwing extremist Jean-Marie Le Pen rocked Europe by winning
a place in the second round of France's presidential election. Two days
earlier, he spoke to Adar Primor about Muslims, Jews and Margaret Thatcher
Thursday April 25, 2002
The Guardian
From the balcony of his home in the prestigious suburb of Saint Cloud,
Jean-Marie Le Pen has a sweeping view of Paris that takes in the Eiffel
Tower, Montparnasse and the white Sacre Coeur church in Montmartre, at the
northern edge of the city. The big three-storey house is surrounded by a
green metal fence. Nothing about it would arouse curiosity; there is no
guard at the entrance, and if there are any security cameras they are very
well hidden. The only obvious nod to security is a standard intercom at the
gate.
A young man in a dark suit opens the front gate. We walk along the edge of
an expansive green lawn. Two statues of black butlers dressed in bright
green and holding lanterns flank the front door. Between them are two very
large straw baskets, of the kind used for pets. Their unusual size piques my
interest. "Oh that," the young man says. "Those are for Monsieur Le Pen's
two dobermans. They're out in the yard now."
Statues of Joan of Arc fill the house; they can be found in every corner -
some on horseback, others in gold, silver and marble. In the first-floor
room that serves as Le Pen's study, an oil painting in a polished wood frame
draws the visitor's attention. The portrait shows a smiling Le Pen (several
decades younger) against a black background. He is wearing a black patch
over his left eye. "It was about 40 years ago, during an election campaign,"
he explains. "Political rivals attacked me. I was savagely beaten. I was
kicked in the face and I lost my eye as a result."
His opponents might see the story of the patch as epitomising his life. They
say he is a racist provocateur, someone who loves a fight, who stirs up
strife and contention; a despised and dangerous man who went looking for a
violent dust-up and lost his eye as a consequence. His contrasting version
of events fits in well with his regular complaints of being politically
slandered, of deep-rooted misunderstandings and systematic abuse from the
establishment.
Even the more jocular aspect that he seeks to ascribe to the whole episode
perfectly suits his personality: "On one occasion, a female political rival
claimed that I was looking at her with a 'hard stare'. I replied: 'But of
course, madam. You are looking at my glass eye,'" he says with a boisterous
laugh.
An encounter with Le Pen can be a bit of a culture shock. The man is blessed
with a rare, intoxicating charisma. Not for nothing did one Jewish political
activist in Paris tell me that, if it weren't for the anti-semitic
overtones, he might well have been persuaded by Le Pen and ended up casting
his vote for the man. He looks different close up. His features are softer.
His eyes (including the artificial one) are bright. He is wearing a black
suit and a blue-and- grey striped tie, with a matching handkerchief in his
jacket pocket. He continuously breaks into raucous laughter that everyone
else in the room finds infectious.
These days, Le Pen is trying to portray himself as more moderate in an
effort to distance himself from the scandals of the past. He is still an
avowed opponent of immigration. He still holds extreme nationalist,
Euro-phobic and anti-American views, but he is careful to avoid saying
anything that could get him pinned once again with the anti-semitic label
and tie him to the current wave of attacks in France. He watches the
anti-semitic events from afar and agrees with the consensus that says they
are an import of the conflict in the Middle East. "There has definitely been
a rise in anti-semitism and anti-semitic acts in the past year and a half,"
he says. "Curses and graffiti have given way to attacks and incitement. It's
all an outgrowth of what is happening in the Middle East now. The height of
the flames depends on how the conflict develops, on the parties' readiness
to reach a compromise."
It is very comfortable for Le Pen to observe all the anti-semitic incidents
from the sidelines, explains Jean Daniel, editor of the weekly Le Nouvel
Observateur. He no longer needs to sully himself. The "Arabs" are doing the
job for him, say other analysts. They are "the real anti-semites" and, at
the same time, they are earning the public's hatred. Moreover, say the
analysts, Le Pen is killing two birds with one stone: He believes the Muslim
immigrants are "a grave phenomenon", perhaps the biggest problem facing
France at the start of the 21st century. "There is a general problem of
gangs that live in the suburbs of the big cities. They are using the events
[in the Middle East] as ideological cover for their actions," he says.
Gangs? "There is an Islamic population in France, most of which comes from
the North African countries. Though some may have French citizenship, they
don't have the French cultural background or sociological structure. They
operate according to a different logic than most of the population here.
Their values are different from those of the Judaeo-Christian world. Not
long ago, they spat at the president of the republic. They booed when the
national anthem was played at a soccer game [in Paris, between the national
teams of France and Algeria]. These elements have a negative effect on all
of public security. They are strengthened demographically both by natural
reproduction and by immigration, which reinforces their stubborn ethnic
segregation, their domineering nature. This is the world of Islam in all its
aberrations."
Do you agree with Jacques Chirac's 1995 statement about France's
responsibility for the crimes of the Vichy government? "No. France was not
responsible for this criminal policy. France was an occupied country, a
country that surrendered and was left without the right to choose.
Therefore, to be fair, you cannot say that it was a willing partner in this
policy."
In the past, there were Nazi collaborators in his party. Has there been a
deliberate change in the party, or have those people simply died out? "I
don't think it is accurate to say that the movement was founded or run by
Nazi collaborators. First of all, my influence in the party has always been
decisive and I have never compromised on these things. In the movement
itself, there was no mention of fascism or national socialism. In my
speeches I always condemned communism, national-socialism and fascism.
Incidentally, I define all of them as leftist movements that were spawned by
the French Revolution. The only reason that our movement was pegged with the
extremist label is because of our loyalty to the principle of French Algeria
and our opposition to the policy of separation from Algeria, which De Gaulle
instituted.
"There was no reason to label us as anti-semitic. No reason at all. I do not
know one person in the National Front who committed even the most minor
hostile act against a Jewish person or Jewish property. As for me, even
though I have been accused of anti-semitism countless times, no one has ever
heard me make anti-semitic statements or engage in anti-semitic behaviour.
There just are people, organisations, that need an adversary and they want
the public to believe that this adversary is dangerous."
Is Le Pen anti-semitic? Observers do not, surprisingly, have an unequivocal
reply to this question. For Jean Daniel, he is "a nationalist who hates
foreigners, but is not necessarily anti-semitic". Theo Klein, a former
leader of the Jewish community in France, tends to concur: "Le Pen is a
xenophobe first and foremost."
Past statements leave little room for doubt, though. He referred to the
former socialist minister Michel Durafour as "Durafour Crematoire [Gas
chamber]," and described the Jewish TV star Anne Sinclair as "a juicy kosher
butcher". Asked directly by journalists whether he was an anti-semite, he
responded: "I don't like Chagall and my favourite composer is Wagner. Does
that make me anti-Jewish?"
On one wall of his home is a large portrait of a younger Le Pen dressed in a
white uniform. His shirt is decorated with paratroop wings and various
medals. The painter dedicated his work, "To Jean-Marie Le Pen, who is loyal
to France." Loyalty to the homeland is a supreme virtue in Le Pen's book.
In 1987, the satirical weekly Le Canard Enchaine wrote that Le Pen himself
was an active participant in torture in Algeria. The Liberation newspaper
later published testimony of Algerian torture victims who described his
actions, which, they said, included beatings, kickings, floggings with whips
and chains, submersions and electric shocks. Le Pen, who claimed that his
reputation had been damaged, sued both newspapers for slander and lost
(though Le Canard Enchaine eventually lost in the appeals court). Today, it
seems that he does not wish to recall any details.
Le Pen was accused of having personally taken part in torture in Algeria.
"Me? I won in all the trials on this subject. All the people who made these
claims were denounced."
In other words, he proved that it wasn't true? "Yes, certainly. Actually,
no - I didn't have to prove that it wasn't true. We live under the rule of
law here. The burden was on the accusers to prove their claims."
What is his opinion of the war in Afghanistan and of statements like that of
the Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, who spoke of a "culture war"?
"That phrase is in fashion these days. The most worrisome thing about the
new Islam is the demographic data. This means it doesn't have to resort to
military means to take over a country. In France, there are six million
Muslim citizens who are recent arrivals. They entered in civilian dress, in
jeans. They would never let six million people with weapons enter our
territory. But a person in jeans can become a soldier. If, despite their
French citizenship, these Muslims feel an affiliation with another entity,
they naturally become suspect in the eyes of those who one day will be
compelled to confront them."
Do you see the Muslims in France as "six million soldiers"? "Today, entire
areas in France are closed even to the security forces. Sociological studies
prove that potential rioters dominate in these areas. The drug trade and
gang violence thrive in these places, maybe religious ideology, too. Over
the next 20 years the population in four areas in the Mediterranean and
Middle East - Turkey, Iran, Egypt and the Maghreb - will grow from 60-100
million inhabitants. They ought to be thought of as superpowers. Let's hope
that they will be pacifistic, but this is in no way a sure thing. This is
why we must protect our interests, our territory and our heritage. In this
context, I prefer a regime like that of Saddam Hussein to, say, Saudi
Arabia. The Ba'ath regime is secular and even permissive toward other
religions. Saudi Arabia is massively funding the spread of Islam. It, rather
than Iraq, should be viewed as a dangerous movement of conquest."
How do you feel about the EU's enlargement process? "Now they're even
talking about Turkey's entry into the EU, and I ask, 'What does Asiatic
Turkey have to do with Europe?' Having it join the EU is an American
interest and not a European interest."
Le Pen agrees to "risk it" and play a game of word association. "I hope that
at the end of this questionnaire, they won't put me before a firing squad."
Here are his replies to the prompts:
The French Revolution: "A bloody calamity for the French people. This
revolution spawned two dreadful bastards: Nazism and communism."
Socialism: "Today's socialist parties are bourgeois parties whose stance is
the same as the declared stance of the centrist parties in the past. If
that's the case, then why not socialism? Still, I am not a socialist."
The church: "I don't visit it often enough. That's what my late mother would
certainly think."
Racism: "I am not a racist. I do not understand the theory of the
superiority of the races at all, but there is a difference between the
races. Black is not white and white is not Japanese. That doesn't mean one
race or another should be idealised."
Xenophobia: "I am not a xenophobe. I am a Francophile."
French culture: "I believe in it. I think that France fulfils a unique
cultural role in the world and that the French language greatly enriches
world culture."
The death penalty: "I am in favour."
The Muslim veil: "It protects us from ugly women."
Auschwitz: "A concentration camp that symbolises the persecution of the
Jews."
The gas chambers: "A method of extermination that also became a symbol of
that persecution."
Israel: "An extraordinary challenge in the world history of a people that is
trying to reconquer its homeland."
Colonialism: "It had a positive influence on the development of the
populations that were subject to its authority. Of course, one could argue
at length about whether these populations are really happier in jeans and
tennis shoes than running barefoot in the wild. I have no answer to that."
Zinedine Zidane (the French soccer star, who is a Muslim of Algerian
background): "A charming young man, a great player. Personally, I like him."
Anne Sinclair (the Jewish television star who sued Le Pen for calling her "a
juicy kosher butcher" and won): "My personal nemesis [He laughs]. I never
understood why she was persecuting me. I think she got me mixed up with
someone else [more laughter]. She always thought that I was the one using
wordplay to make a joke at her expense. But it wasn't me, it was someone
else."
Jorg Haider: "A brilliant opportunist who used his talents to appropriate
Austrian nationalism and thereby gained a big political achievement, without
deriving any direct benefit from it."
Collaborators with Hitler: "France was an occupied country. There were two
kinds of collaborators: those who were forced by the Nazis to collaborate
and those who viewed Hitler as the realisation of anti-communist socialism.
The latter were almost all leftists, by the way."
Joan of Arc: "My favorite statesman [He uses the masculine formulation]."
Thatcher: "I admire her very much. 'A real man', like Golda Meir."
· This is an edited version of an article which appeared in the Israeli
newspaper, Ha'aretz.
--
--
FAIR USE NOTICE: This post contains copyrighted material the use of which
has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. I am
making such material available in an effort to advance understanding of
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social justice issues, etc. I believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any
such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright
Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107
"If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier, just so
long as I'm the dictator." - GW Bush 12/18/2000.
"This is not a monarchy.... We've got a dictatorial President and a Justice
Department that does not want Congress involved.... Your guy's acting like
he's king."
--Congressman Dan Burton, referring to George W. Bush
"Go out and rope yourself a black man"
---Billy Beck, 2002-03-21 20:26:05 PST
Chris Morton
scurrying underfoot.
--
Gun control, the theory that 110lb. women should have to fistfight with 210lb.
rapists.
Gandalf Grey
Internet bigot, "Chris Morton" <cmo...@newsguy.com> wrote more racist
garbage.
Google Racist Post Summary for Christopher Morton: April 25, 2002
Searched Groups for nigger author:christopher author:Morton.
Results 8,060 racist posts by Chris Morton the number one source of racist
posts on the newsgroups.
righ...@scumbag.com
wrote like a right wing scumbag:
>scurrying underfoot.
>
You think Gandolf is a right wing conservative, McSnorts?
Another dopey belief of yours.
=====================================================
*Try* it, you crappy little faggot bitch. Don't just sit there:
come try it.
I'll take your fuckin' life, instantly, and sleep like a baby.
Billy
VRWC Fronteer
http://www.mindspring.com/~wjb3/free/
Christopher Morton
>On 25 Apr 2002 11:40:09 -0700, Chris Morton <cmo...@newsguy.com>
>wrote like a right wing scumbag:
>>More like the Gandoof Hanson of France... with bunches of "Judys" and "mollys"
>>scurrying underfoot.
>>
>
>You think Gandolf is a right wing conservative, McSnorts?
I KNOW he's a liar and familiar of anti-Semites.
Oddly enough, so do YOU.
--
"sure an a nigger is going to use denigrate." - Glen Yeadon
"Who gives an FF what anyone says about the jooz." - Judy Diarya
"Jews mean nothing to me." - Judy Diarya
"Everyone but you knows the jews were behind 9-11." - Judy Diarya
righ...@scumbag.com
<chr...@ameritech.net> wrote like a right wing scumbag:
>
>>On 25 Apr 2002 11:40:09 -0700, Chris Morton <cmo...@newsguy.com>
>>wrote like a right wing scumbag:
>>>More like the Gandoof Hanson of France... with bunches of "Judys" and "mollys"
>>>scurrying underfoot.
>>>
>>
>>You think Gandolf is a right wing conservative, McSnorts?
>
>I KNOW he's a liar and familiar of anti-Semites.
You don't know shit, McSnorts
That's why we laugh at you.
Gandalf Grey
"Christopher Morton" <chr...@ameritech.net> wrote in message
news:mqdhcusgupjqr1os1...@4ax.com...
> On Thu, 25 Apr 2002 23:28:32 GMT, righ...@scumbag.com wrote:
>
> >On 25 Apr 2002 11:40:09 -0700, Chris Morton <cmo...@newsguy.com>
> >wrote like a right wing scumbag:
> >>More like the Gandoof Hanson of France... with bunches of "Judys" and
"mollys"
> >>scurrying underfoot.
> >>
> >
> >You think Gandolf is a right wing conservative, McSnorts?
>
> I KNOW he's a liar and familiar of anti-Semites.
You know neither.
On the other hand we all KNOW that you've lied about me and definitely lied
when you misrepresented "Yeadon's" comment in your sig line.
It's got to be tough for you, Morton. Apologizing for Billy Graham's
anti-Semitic statements, ignoring Billy Beck's gaybashing and Race is Real's
nazi propaganda.
What a poor liar you turned out to be.
Christopher Morton
>On Thu, 25 Apr 2002 22:11:59 -0400, Christopher Morton
><chr...@ameritech.net> wrote like a right wing scumbag:
>>On Thu, 25 Apr 2002 23:28:32 GMT, righ...@scumbag.com wrote:
>>
>>>On 25 Apr 2002 11:40:09 -0700, Chris Morton <cmo...@newsguy.com>
>>>wrote like a right wing scumbag:
>>>>More like the Gandoof Hanson of France... with bunches of "Judys" and "mollys"
>>>>scurrying underfoot.
>>>>
>>>
>>>You think Gandolf is a right wing conservative, McSnorts?
>>
>>I KNOW he's a liar and familiar of anti-Semites.
>
>You don't know shit, McSnorts
I know you're one too.
Gandalf Grey
> On Fri, 26 Apr 2002 03:22:46 GMT, righ...@scumbag.com wrote:
>
> >On Thu, 25 Apr 2002 22:11:59 -0400, Christopher Morton
> ><chr...@ameritech.net> wrote like a right wing scumbag:
> >>On Thu, 25 Apr 2002 23:28:32 GMT, righ...@scumbag.com wrote:
> >>
> >>>On 25 Apr 2002 11:40:09 -0700, Chris Morton <cmo...@newsguy.com>
> >>>wrote like a right wing scumbag:
> >>>>More like the Gandoof Hanson of France... with bunches of "Judys" and
"mollys"
> >>>>scurrying underfoot.
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>>You think Gandolf is a right wing conservative, McSnorts?
> >>
> >>I KNOW he's a liar and familiar of anti-Semites.
> >
> >You don't know shit, McSnorts
>
> I know you're one too.
Yes, we know, Senator McCarthy. Everyone is out to get you and they're ALL
anti-Semites and racists.
molly
says...
> More like the Gandoof Hanson of France... with bunches of "Judys" and "mollys"
> scurrying underfoot.
As a dedicated, self-described "Liberal" and opponent of Racism
in all its forms; I would think you'd be the first one here to
step forward and denounce this French Fascist.
You know that he wants to build concentration camps for "illegal
immigrants" and people whom he considers ethnically not "french?"
(including Blacks).
I don't see how this silly namecalling post of yours differs from
something that the National Alliance would post in response.
molly
Christopher Morton
>In article <aa9ii...@drn.newsguy.com>, cmo...@newsguy.com
>says...
>> More like the Gandoof Hanson of France... with bunches of "Judys" and "mollys"
>> scurrying underfoot.
>
>
>As a dedicated, self-described "Liberal" and opponent of Racism
>in all its forms; I would think you'd be the first one here to
>step forward and denounce this French Fascist.
I compared him to Gandoof Hanson.
You act like that's not an insult!
In fact, Jean Marie Le Pen represents the same sort of loathesome,
braindead, cookie cutter Jew hatred that you and Judy the Jew hater
represent.
You're all degenerate racist, Jew hating filth and should kill
yourselves at the earliest opportunity.
>You know that he wants to build concentration camps for "illegal
>immigrants" and people whom he considers ethnically not "french?"
>(including Blacks).
Sounds like Glen Yeadon who supports RACIAL CONCENTRATION CAMPS for
Japanese-Americans.
>I don't see how this silly namecalling post of yours differs from
>something that the National Alliance would post in response.
When *I* call you a Jew hater (which you are), I don't mean it as a
complement.
BitHead
<chr...@ameritech.net> wrote:
>On Sat, 27 Apr 2002 22:15:00 GMT, molly<mo...@fwtrib.com> wrote:
>
>>In article <aa9ii...@drn.newsguy.com>, cmo...@newsguy.com
>>says...
>>> More like the Gandoof Hanson of France... with bunches of "Judys" and "mollys"
>>> scurrying underfoot.
>>
>>
>>As a dedicated, self-described "Liberal" and opponent of Racism
>>in all its forms; I would think you'd be the first one here to
>>step forward and denounce this French Fascist.
>
>I compared him to Gandoof Hanson.
>
>You act like that's not an insult!
It's not. It raises Hanson by several levels.
>
>In fact, Jean Marie Le Pen represents the same sort of loathesome,
>braindead, cookie cutter Jew hatred that you and Judy the Jew hater
>represent.
Agreement. Yet, Ironicly, what LePen did was hand the socialists their
heads. Clearly, the voters considered him preferable to the
socialists.
>
---
"Israelis have been too quick, over the years,
to view criticism of their government as motivated
by anti-Semitism. -Rickypooh Hanson
-
And then Hanson, tried to tell us how Chris Morton
is a racist because he has some quotes from Hanson's
racist idols in his tagline... Hanson like the
idiot he is attrinbutes thesec quotes not to his
buddies, the real authors, but to Chris Morton.
Hanson hates it when his racist buddies get quoted.
But that's Hanson. A born liar, if a bad one.
You're outted, Hanson.
Retract.
Now.
Your move.
Annoy A Liberal, INC.
Gandalf Grey
the following lie:
> "Israelis have been too quick, over the years,
> to view criticism of their government as motivated
> by anti-Semitism."
The real quote:
from:
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/20/opinion/_20SAT1.html?ex=1020337099&ei=1&en
=a056506c0806209e
"Israelis have been too quick, over the years, to view criticism of their
government as motivated by anti-Semitism. But it is hard to think of another
word for the way some critics of Israel's policy toward the Palestinians are
expressing their opposition."
What else you got, punk?
BitHead
<ganda...@infectedmail.com> wrote:
>Known liar and internet forger, "BitHead" <bit...@rochester.rr.com> wrote
>the following lie:
>
>> "Israelis have been too quick, over the years,
>> to view criticism of their government as motivated
>> by anti-Semitism."
>
>The real quote:
>
It';s not going away, Dickless.
You lied, you got caught.
---
"Israelis have been too quick, over the years,
to view criticism of their government as motivated
Gandalf Grey
"BitHead" <bit...@rochester.rr.com> wrote in message
news:3ccc1290.131305490@news...
> It';s not going away, Gandalf.
Nope. Your lie is here to stay, Eric.
Known liar and internet forger, "BitHead" <bit...@rochester.rr.com> wrote
the following lie:
> "Israelis have been too quick, over the years,
> to view criticism of their government as motivated
> by anti-Semitism."
The real quote:
from:
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/20/opinion/_20SAT1.html?ex=1020337099&ei=1&en
=a056506c0806209e
"Israelis have been too quick, over the years, to view criticism of their
BitHead
<ganda...@infectedmail.com> wrote:
>(Nothing that matters)
(Repeated spam snipped. )
Your problem, Dickless, is you got caught... and there's no way out of
this that will allow you to save face.
Well, sorry, fruitfly, I'm not about to provide you an easy exit. This
is going to be painfuil for you. You will have to admit you lied about
Morton, that you based that lie on a number of statements that were
not his.
And understand this clearly; all this is what everyone else already
knows, including those who generally defend you. Except for Catbox,
who is possibly the only person on the net more downright stupid than
you, they're all letting you twist in the wind.
Enjoy it.
I know I am.
---
"Israelis have been too quick, over the years,
to view criticism of their government as motivated
Gandalf Grey
> On Sun, 28 Apr 2002 10:16:46 -0700, "Gandalf Grey"
> <ganda...@infectedmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> >(Nothing that matters)
> (Repeated spam snipped. )
Said the spammer while he lied.
Christopher Morton
<ganda...@infectedmail.com> wrote:
>
>"BitHead" <bit...@rochester.rr.com> wrote in message
>news:3ccc1290.131305490@news...
>
>> It';s not going away, Gandalf.
>
>Nope. Your lie is here to stay, Eric.
Keep lying in defense of Jew haters.
It's who you are.
Gandalf Grey
"Christopher Morton" <chr...@ameritech.net> loudly proclaimed in message
news:lrnocucs5mkqakmj9...@4ax.com...
> Keep lying in defense of Jew haters.
I see you're still being all you can be, Chris.