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Marine Le Pen: Muslims in France 'like Nazi occupation'
Marine Le Pen, the leader of the French far-Right, drew heavy criticism after she said Muslims praying outside were like Nazi occupiers.
The daughter of Jean-Marie Le Pen, the outgoing leader of the National Front, told a rally that ten to fifteen places in France where Muslims worshipped in the streets were occupied territory.
"For those who want to talk a lot about World War II, if it's about occupation, then we could also talk about it (Muslim prayers in the streets), because that is occupation of territory," she said at the gathering in Lyon.
"It is an occupation of sections of the territory, of districts in which religious laws apply. It's an occupation," she said at the rally that was part of her bid to take the party leadership when her father steps down in January.
"There are of course no tanks, there are no soldiers, but it is nevertheless an occupation and it weighs heavily on local residents," the 42-year-old noted.
The comments sparked condemnation from politicians from President Nicolas Sarkozy's ruling UMP party and from the opposition Socialists and the Greens.
"This is the true face of the far right which has not changed in the slightest, and Marine Le Pen is just as dangerous as Jean-Marie Le Pen," said Socialist Party spokesman Benoit Hamon.
Jean-Marie Le Pen, who has several convictions for racism and anti-Semitism, shocked Europe in 2002 by coming in second in the French presidential elections.