France: Policemen suspended over Nazi salute
Three policemen suspected of making Nazi-style salutes, shouting 'Sieg Heil!' in bar. French interior minister: This intolerable behavior totally contradicts police ethics
The French interior ministry has suspended three policemen who are alleged to have made Nazi-style salutes and shouted racist insults, the BBC reported Friday.
According to the report, the three men arrived at a bar in the northern town of Amiens last Friday dressed in plain clothes and accompanied by two others. Upon entering the place, they made Nazi-style salutes and shouted "Sieg Heil!" - the Nazi Party's slogan, which literally means "hail to victory".
The bar owner reported their behavior to police authorities. An inquiry into the incident revealed that the suspects were off-duty policemen, and they were suspended.
French Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie called it "intolerable" behavior that "totally contradicts police ethics".
On Friday, French far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen was handed a three-month suspended jail sentence on Friday for describing the Nazi occupation of France as "not especially inhumane".
Le Pen, 79, was found guilty of denying a crime against humanity and complicity in condoning war crimes, over the remarks made in an interview with a far-right magazine in 2005.
The veteran National Front (FN) chief was also fined 10,000 euros ($14,500) for his remarks. Le Pen was not in court to hear the verdict but his lawyer said there was a "100% chance" his client would appeal.
AFP contributed to this report
