French scrap war tribute over Nazi fears

A re-enactment of a Second World War battle in Normandy was been cancelled amid fears it could encourage neo-Nazi support, it emerged today.

The German coastal gun site of Crisbecq was captured a few days after D-Day in June 1944 following tough fighting by American soldiers.

The re-enactment was due to coincide with a National Heritage Weekend two weeks ago but was cancelled the night before by the French Defence ministry.

Following that, junior minister for veterans affairs Alain Marleix sent a letter yesterday to all the country’s top regional officials warning them to ensure that any re-enactments were done “in a purely commemorative context” and did not encourage for “extremist” sentiment.

While he recognised the “undeniable” educational value of re-enactments, M. Marleix added they should not be “transformed into manifestations exalting military combat.”

He also said they should not allow groups and individuals “whose fascination for the Third Reich is, or risks appearing, ambiguous ... to trivialise the presence of Nazi occupiers on French soil during World War II.”

The Interior Ministry has estimated that about 3,000 people belong to neo-Nazi movements in France, home to Western Europe’s largest Jewish population.