The striking success of the Poujade movement in the French national elections of yesterday is causing some concern in liberal and Jewish circles in France today.
The Poujadists, who started from scratch two years ago as a protest movement against the system of taxation of small businessmen, emerged with at least 49 seats of the 544 elected by metropolitan France. In their election campaigns, Poujadist candidates centered a good deal of fire on Pierre Mendes-France, the Jewish ex-Premier of France, and anti-Semitic propaganda featured largely at all their election rallies.
The strong arm and disruptive tactics of the Poujadists at election rallies of rival parties were all too reminiscent of the early days of the Nazis and other Fascist parties.
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