The French Justice Ministry was asked today to ban the sale of a new pro-Nazi book and a plan of supporters of its collaborationist author to hold a public meeting to celebrate publication of the volume.
Jewish and non-Jewish organizations joined in the protest against “The Volunteers” by Saint Loup, a notorious wartime collaborator with the Nazis. The book describes the creation of the French Legion of Volunteers which fought alongside the Germans on the Russian front in World War II. Critics said the book serves as a propaganda vehicle for some of the worst aspects of Nazi ideology, particularly its racist doctrines.
The Movement Against Racism and For Peace issued a public protest against the book’s publication and urged authorities to prevent its circulation. The National Association of Former Resistance Fighters, the major non-Jewish organization which includes some of France’s leading Gaullist figures, joined the protest.
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