Date: 14 Dec 2010
Praying Muslims like Nazis, says Le Pen daughter Marine \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ check out the photos \\\\\\\\\\\ http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/praying-muslims-like-nazis-says-le-pen-daughter-marine/story-e6frg6so-1225970511108 \\\\\\\\\\\\ THE daughter of French far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen has compared Muslims praying outside overcrowded mosques with the Nazi occupation. Marine Le Pen said at a weekend rally of the anti-immigrant National Front there were "10 to 15" places in France where Muslims worshipped in the streets. \\\\\\\\\\\\ "For those who want to talk a lot about World War II, if it's about occupation, then we could also talk about (that), because that is occupation of territory," she said at the gathering in Lyons, which was part of her bid for the party leadership when her father steps down in January.\\\\\\\\\\\ "There are, of course, no tanks, there are no soldiers but it is nevertheless an occupation and it weighs heavily on local residents," she said. \\\\\\\\\\ The 42-year-old's comments were condemned by politicians including President Nicolas Sarkozy's ruling UMP and the opposition Socialists and Greens. \\\\\\\\\ "This is the true face of the far Right, which has not changed in the slightest, and Marine Le Pen is just as dangerous as Jean-Marie Le Pen," Socialist Party spokesman Benoit Hamon said. \\\\\\\\\ Ms Le Pen's father, who has several convictions for racism and anti-Semitism, shocked Europe in 2002 by coming second in presidential elections. \\\\\\\\\\\\ The French Council of the Muslim Faith said Ms Le Pen's comments were an "incitement to hatred and violence". \\\\\\\\\\\\\ The Movement Against Racism and for Friendship between Peoples said it was planning a civil lawsuit against her. Ms Le Pen was referring to districts such as Paris's Goutte d'Or, where mosques are so full on Fridays that many believers pray on the streets outside. \\\\\\\\\\ Police in June banned a "pork sausage and wine" street party planned by extremist groups to combat what they saw as "Islamisation" of the neighbourhood.\\\\\\\\\\\\ Yesterday, Goutte d'Or locals said they were used to comments like Ms Le Pen's. "With the cold and the dirt, we'd love to have a clean hall to pray in, but we don't have the choice," said Walid Ben, who works in a local fabric shop.\\\\\\\\\\\\ "I understand that it bothers people, but what solution is Marine Le Pen proposing?" \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ In Britain, meanwhile, Home Secretary Theresa May said she was considering whether to ban firebrand US pastor Terry Jones from entering the country to address far-right activists. 000000000