FRANCE (VINnews) – A French mayor has been suspended from office for one month after posting a social media comment describing France as “too Jewish,” a remark widely condemned as antisemitic, Le Parisien reported Thursday.
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Bernard Bazinet, mayor of the small town of Augignac in southwest France, made the comment earlier this month while supporting a boycott of Israel’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest.
According to Le Parisien, the suspension was ordered by Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez and took effect Wednesday, running through the end of the month. Nuñez said Bazinet no longer held the moral authority required to carry out his duties.
Bazinet wrote the comment in response to a Facebook post discussing Israel’s participation in Eurovision amid the war in Gaza. The remark quickly circulated online and drew sharp criticism.
In an interview with Agence France-Presse, Bazinet, a former member of the Socialist Party, said he reacted “foolishly” and claimed he was not initially aware of the antisemitic connotations of the phrase. He said he attempted to delete the post after realizing the backlash, but it had already been widely shared.
The Socialist Party later announced Bazinet’s expulsion, citing what it described as antisemitic remarks incompatible with the party’s values.
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