A French mayor was fined 3 000 euros yesterday on charges of being an apologist for crimes against humanity for saying that “Hitler maybe didn’t kill enough of them” with regard to French Gypsies. Gilles Bourdouleix, a member of parliament and mayor of the western town of Cholet, made the remark in July 2013 during an argument with a group of Travellers, who set up camp in Cholet without authorization. Angered by his refusal to accommodate around 100 caravans for a short stay, some of the Travellers accused him of racism and reportedly performed Nazi salutes. Bourdouleix’s muttered response, invoking the more than 200,000 Roma or “Gypsies” killed in the Holocaust, was recorded by a local journalist. Being an apologist for crimes against humanity is a crime punishable by up to five years in prison and fine of 45,000 euros (61,538 dollars). Bourdouleix, who was forced to quit the centrist Union of Democrats and Independents (UDI) party over his remarks, was not in court for the hearing. His lawyer argued his client had not meant the remark to be heard by anyone else and that he had been provoked. The comment was seen as reflecting growing hostility in France toward both Travellers, who are French nationals, and Roma immigrants from Eastern Europe. The two groups are often confused. Some Travellers are of Roma origin but all have been living in France for generations. The Roma live mostly in Bulgaria and Romania. Around 20,000 Roma live in informal settlements in France.
According the the French magazine Le Point, the prosecutor had asked for a prison sentence of 6 months, as well as a fine of 6 000 euros. According to the judge who handed down the sentence, Bourdouleix “was clearly apologetic” and “exalted the crime committed” towards Gypsies during the Third Reich in expressing “the regret that not enough of them were killed.” – Le Point and various news agencies