France Plotzes as Sarko Jr Weds Jewish Heiress

(NEWSER) - French authorities are investigating the sale of T-shirts bearing anti-Semitic slogans that date to 1940, the BBC reports. The shirts carry the slogan "Jews not allowed in this park" in German and Polish, reproduced from signs posted in Lodz, Poland, during World War II. Almost all of Lodz's Jews perished in the Holocaust. More»

Divides Paris liberals over 'right to provoke'

(NEWSER) - Controversial French columnist Maurice Siné is drawing cries of anti-Semitism for statements about President Sarkozy's son, reports the Guardian. In a column for Charlie Hebdo, Siné alleged Jean Sarkozy planned to convert to Judaism to wed a Jewish heiress and "go a long way in life." Siné's editor agreed it reinforced stereotypes and ordered an apology. Siné refused and was fired. More»

Sarkozy vows to fight anti-Semitism after victim left in coma

(NEWSER) - A Paris teenager was beaten into a coma yesterday in what Jewish groups are calling an anti-Semitic attack, the AP reports. In one account, about 15 people beat the 17-year-old, who was wearing a skullcap in eastern Paris. Authorities have detained five people for questioning, and President Nicolas Sarkozy has called for "total determination to fighting all forms of racism and anti-Semitism." More»

Prez wants each 5th grader to study a victim

(NEWSER) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy has sparked a new controversy: The maverick leader is now defending his plan to have every fifth grader study a French youth killed in the Holocaust. Critics, including Jewish analysts, warn the move could traumatize students. But one historian applauded Sarkozy's "courage" and said what children "see on television or in a horror film is much worse." More»

Jean, 21, emerges as player in dad's old suburb of Neuilly

(NEWSER) - Before becoming France's hyper-president, Nicolas Sarkozy was mayor of chic Parisian suburb Neuilly-sur-Seine, the country's richest town. But only weeks before a mayoral election, his hand-picked successor has withdrawn from the race after losing a powerful supporter: Jean Sarkozy, the president's own 21-year-old son. Many are now wondering about the political ambitions of Sarkozy fils, writes the Telegraph. More»