Israel Slams Le Pen's Remarks Denying French Role in Holocaust

The Israeli Foreign Ministry condemned on Monday remarks by French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen denying France's role in the Holocaust.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Sunday, Le Pen said that France was not responsible for rounding up more than 13,000 Jews in Paris during WWII. France’s responsibility for the so-called Vel' d'Hiv Roundup has been admitted by both former President Jacques Chirac and current leader Francois Hollande.

Israel condemns Marine Le Pen's statements that France isn't responsible for deportation of Jews from its territory during the Holocaust 1/4 pic.twitter.com/uUsB0HvepZ

— Israel Foreign Min. (@IsraelMFA) 10 апреля 2017 г.

The ministry added that anti-Semitism was once again on the rise in France.

According to the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions (CRIF), which monitors Jewish security in France, over 8,000 Jews have left France for Israel following a shooting at a Jewish school in Toulouse, and the attack on a kosher grocery store in Paris in 2015.

The Council of Europe Anti-Racism Commission (ECRI) noted its concern about the high level of race-related crime and the rise of hate speech in France, as well as cases of attempted murder, particularly in connection with anti-Semitism.

Le Pen leads in the first round of the French presidential election, scheduled for April 23.