Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Verdun Prosecutors Open Inquiry Into Pétain Tribute Over Crimes-Against-Humanity Denial

Prosecutors cite possible denial of crimes against humanity after pro-Pétain remarks at a Verdun mass.

Overview

  • The investigation targets Jacques Boncompain, head of the Association for Defending Marshal Pétain’s Memory, after he told reporters Pétain was “the first resistant of France.”
  • Prosecutor Delphine Moncuit said the case also concerns the priest who led the service, Gautier Luquin, 31, for alleged incitement by a minister of religion to resist the law.
  • Investigators are examining potential offenses of public denial or gross minimization of crimes against humanity committed during World War II and holding a political meeting in a place of worship.
  • The Meuse prefecture said the procedure includes the possible dissolution of the association, a decision that would rest with the Interior Ministry.
  • The mass proceeded after a court overturned the Verdun mayor’s ban, and the prefect filed a complaint over remarks he called clearly revisionist.