Michel Durafour (French pronunciation: [miʃɛl dyʁafuʁ]; 11 April 1920 in Saint-Étienne, Loire – 27 July 2017) was a French politician. He served in many government posts under Jacques Chirac, Raymond Barre and Michel Rocard, and was Mayor of Saint-Étienne from 1964 to 1977.[1]
Michel Durafour | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Saint-Étienne | |
| In office 1964–1977 | |
| Preceded by | Alexandre de Fraissinette |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Sanguedolce |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 11 April 1920 Saint-Étienne, France |
| Died | 27 July 2017 (aged 97) Saint-Étienne, France |
| Political party | Radical Party |
In 1988, while serving as Minister of Public Service in Rocard's government, Durafour was the subject of a reply to his suggestion to "exterminate the Front National"[2] which provoked a "storm of criticism".[3][4] Jean-Marie Le Pen, a far right defeated presidential candidate, referred to Durafour as "Mr. Durafour-crematoire", a play on words as "four" is the French term for oven, and "oven crematorium" is a reference to the Nazi death camps of the Second World War.[4] Alain Juppé responded by stating that "There are words one does not make jokes about" while the French Socialist Party spokesman Jean-Jack Queyranne stated that "Mr. Le Pen is showing what he is at heart: a racist and an anti-Semite".[4] Le Pen himself stated that he was responding to Durafour's own accusations regarding Le Pen's role in World War II, and that "Mr. Durafour is not just an imbecile but a bum".[4]
Notes
edit- ^ Michel Durafour from IMDb. Retrieved 30 May 2008
- ^ "La vérité sur le Front National !". 10 January 2006.
- ^ L'Humanité – Libres Échanges Archived 6 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 30 May 2008
- ^ a b c d Anti-Semitic Joke Assailed in France from The New York Times Retrieved 30 May 2008
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