German prosecutors opened a formal investigation of French far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen for calling the Holocaust a “mere detail” of history during a speech in Germany. The move came after the European Parliament lifted the immunity of Le Pen, who is a member of the European Union’s legislature. Le Pen is expected to be questioned before the end of the year, but it is not clear yet whether this will be done by French or German officials, a German prosecutor said. The investigation may lead to a trial of Le Pen in Germany, where it is a crime to trivialize the Holocaust.
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