Le Pen to Be Tried for Racism Now That His Immunity is Lifted

Jean-Marie Le Pen, leader of the extreme right-wing National Front, will go on trial here for racist libel and anti-Semitic hate-mongering, probably in February.

The way was opened Monday night, when the Parliament of Europe, convening in the French city of Strasbourg, voted 178-91 to strip Le Pen of the immunity he enjoys as a member of the European Community’s legislative body.

The action came at a time when the National Front is riding a crest of electoral popularity in areas where its racist and xenophobic campaigns, aimed at Arabs from former French territories in Africa, seem to have struck a sympathetic chord.

The French Justice Ministry, however, wants to prosecute Le Pen for several anti-Semitic remarks, including his mocking allusion to death camp crematoria on Sept. 2, 1988, when he made a pun on the surname of Public Service Minister Michel Durafour, the last syllable of which is French for “oven.”

If found guilty, Le Pen would face a prison term and a fine.

The vote in Strasbourg was credited in large measure to the efforts of Simone Veil, a former president of the Parliament. She used her personal prestige and influence to raise the sentiments of liberals and center-rightists against Le Pen.

Veil, a Jewish Holocaust survivor, lobbied for weeks to convince them that while one anti-Semitic statement might be forgiven, though never forgotten, Le Pen overstepped the bounds by his repetitive Jew-baiting.

As recently as last week, during a Dec. 5 television debate, he badgered another Cabinet minister, Lionel Stoleru, about alleged dual loyalty by repeatedly asking if he held Israeli as well as French citizenship.

Le Pen is also on record as publicly questioning the authenticity of the Holocaust. He has claimed that there were no Nazi gas chambers.

But many deputies, including some of Le Pen’s most bitter foes, were reluctant to lift his immunity, because of the precedent it would set.

Le Pen said he had been targeted for “political persecution.” But most political parties and the Jewish community welcomed the vote.

Jean Kahn, president of CRIF, the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France, said, “The European Parliament acted in a healthy way to prevent Le Pen from hiding behind his immunity. He will have to face justice like any other citizen would.”