Le Pen criticized for denying French blame in WWII roundup
PARIS — Marine Le Pen, a leading contender in France’s presidential race, has prompted an outcry by denying that the French state was responsible for the roundup of Jews in World War II.
Her remark rolled back more than two decades of policy on France’s responsibility in the darkest period of its modern history.
Le Pen said Sunday on RTL radio, “I don’t think France is responsible for the Vel d’Hiv”— a reference to the Paris stadium where thousands of Jews were rounded up before being sent to Nazi death camps.
Those responsible “were those in charge at the time,” she said.