Bruno Gollnisch
Encyclopedia
Bruno Gollnisch is a French academic and politician
, a member of the National Front (FN) far-right party, and a member of the European Parliament
. He was chairman of the European Parliamentary group 'Identity, Tradition, Sovereignty
' in 2007, which was dissolved in November 2007 following the defection of the 'Greater Romanian Party'. He is therefore a Non-Inscrit
. Gollnisch has also been the executive vice-president of the FN since 2007. He is a councillor of the Rhône-Alpes
région
of France. Because of his public comments, and his position in the National Front he is a controversial figure in France.
, political science
and far-eastern languages with the view to becoming a diplomat
. He met Jean-Marie Le Pen
while studying at Nanterre university. He also became a reserve officer in the French Navy
.
In 1971-1973 he was granted degrees in Japanese and Malaysian
-Indonesian
by the INALCO. In 1973, he was awarded a degree in political sciences at Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po). He did a masters (DEA) in public law in 1973. In 1974, he began doctoral studies in Law at Kyoto University
(Japan). In 1978, he obtained a doctorate
in law in Paris. Since 1980, he has been an attorney at the bar
of Paris.
After his return to France, he began a career as juridical advisor, then lawyer
. He is a specialist in the law of Eastern Asian countries.
He became associate professor of Law at Metz
university. In 1981, he became professor
of Japanese language and civilization at the University of Lyon III
- a position which he holds to this day. The humanities division of University of Lyon 3
, is notorious for the profusion of FN supporters and revisionists
among its faculty—most notably, Robert Faurisson
. Gollnisch has collaborated with the white nationalist American Renaissance
magazine.
Gollnisch, who is part of the Catholic
faction within the National Front, along with Bernard Antony, joined the "TSM" faction inside the FN (Tout sauf Mégret
, Anybody But Mégret) during the 1990s crisis, along with Samuel Maréchal, Marine Le Pen
, Roger Holeindre
, Jean-Claude Martinez
and Martine Lehideux.
He married a Japanese, Setsuko Takeuchi, in 1981 and they have three children.
Gollnisch was an unsuccessful candidate for the leadership of the National Front in 2011 when the party's founding leader Jean Marie Le Pen retired. Gollnisch was defeated by Marine Le Pen
, Jean Marie's daughter.
," which is punished in France by virtue of the 1990 Gayssot Act. Gollnisch had committed the verbal contestation on October 11, 2004, by declaring:
In reaction to a report denouncing the complacent attitude of the Lyon III university with respect to the far right, Bruno Gollnisch reiterated his declarations shortly after its publication. Bruno Gollnisch's declarations, with their implication of holocaust denial
, provoked a scandal, especially in the run-up to the ceremonies commemorating the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz extermination camp. The chancellor of the university asked the Minister of National Education to suspend Professor Gollnisch, and announced the opening of a disciplinary procedure against him.
On 26 December, the chancellor suspended Professor Gollnisch's classes for 30 days. Furthermore, on 2 December, the chancellor excluded him from the university, alleging a possible breach of the peace; however, this decision was overturned by the Conseil d'État on 14 January 2005.
On 2 February, Bruno Gollnisch started teaching again at Lyon III. Students were prevented from entering his lecture room by groups of students from left-wing and Jewish associations. A group of National Front students enabled his students to enter and blocked the protesters. A brawl ensued; police officers arrived on the scene and a National Front student was arrested. Other trouble ensued.
On 7 November 2006, at the opening of the trial, Bruno Gollnisch was asked whether "the organized extermination of European Jews by the Nazi regime (...) constitutes an undeniable crime against humanity, and that it was carried out notably by using gas chambers in extermination camps". He replied "absolutely". Gollnisch was finally found not guilty by the Cour de cassation
on 24 June 2009.
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, a member of the National Front (FN) far-right party, and a member of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
. He was chairman of the European Parliamentary group 'Identity, Tradition, Sovereignty
Identity, Tradition, Sovereignty
thumb|right|Group logoIdentity, Tradition, Sovereignty was a political group in the European Parliament composed of 23 members from European parties variously described as right-wing and nationalist...
' in 2007, which was dissolved in November 2007 following the defection of the 'Greater Romanian Party'. He is therefore a Non-Inscrit
Non-Inscrits
Non-Inscrits are Members of the European Parliament who do not sit in one of the recognized political groups....
. Gollnisch has also been the executive vice-president of the FN since 2007. He is a councillor of the Rhône-Alpes
Rhône-Alpes
Rhône-Alpes is one of the 27 regions of France, located on the eastern border of the country, towards the south. The region was named after the Rhône River and the Alps mountain range. Its capital, Lyon, is the second-largest metropolitan area in France after Paris...
région
Region
Region is most commonly found as a term used in terrestrial and astrophysics sciences also an area, notably among the different sub-disciplines of geography, studied by regional geographers. Regions consist of subregions that contain clusters of like areas that are distinctive by their uniformity...
of France. Because of his public comments, and his position in the National Front he is a controversial figure in France.
Studies and career
Bruno Gollnisch studied lawLaw
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
, political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
and far-eastern languages with the view to becoming a diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
. He met Jean-Marie Le Pen
Jean-Marie Le Pen
Jean-Marie Le Pen is a French far right-wing and nationalist politician who is founder and former president of the Front National party. Le Pen has run for the French presidency five times, most notably in 2002, when in a surprise upset he came second, polling more votes in the first round than...
while studying at Nanterre university. He also became a reserve officer in the French Navy
French Navy
The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...
.
In 1971-1973 he was granted degrees in Japanese and Malaysian
Malaysian language
Malaysian or Standard Malay is the official language of Malaysia and a standardized form of the Malay language of the Austronesian family. It is over 80% cognate with Indonesian and is spoken natively by over 10 million people...
-Indonesian
Indonesian language
Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia. Indonesian is a normative form of the Riau Islands dialect of Malay, an Austronesian language which has been used as a lingua franca in the Indonesian archipelago for centuries....
by the INALCO. In 1973, he was awarded a degree in political sciences at Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po). He did a masters (DEA) in public law in 1973. In 1974, he began doctoral studies in Law at Kyoto University
Kyoto University
, or is a national university located in Kyoto, Japan. It is the second oldest Japanese university, and formerly one of Japan's Imperial Universities.- History :...
(Japan). In 1978, he obtained a doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in law in Paris. Since 1980, he has been an attorney at the bar
Bar (law)
Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...
of Paris.
After his return to France, he began a career as juridical advisor, then lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
. He is a specialist in the law of Eastern Asian countries.
He became associate professor of Law at Metz
Metz
Metz is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers.Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place...
university. In 1981, he became professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of Japanese language and civilization at the University of Lyon III
Jean Moulin University Lyon 3
Jean Moulin University Lyon 3 is a French public university, based in Lyon. It is under the supervision of the Academy of Lyon...
- a position which he holds to this day. The humanities division of University of Lyon 3
Jean Moulin University Lyon 3
Jean Moulin University Lyon 3 is a French public university, based in Lyon. It is under the supervision of the Academy of Lyon...
, is notorious for the profusion of FN supporters and revisionists
Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial is the act of denying the genocide of Jews in World War II, usually referred to as the Holocaust. The key claims of Holocaust denial are: the German Nazi government had no official policy or intention of exterminating Jews, Nazi authorities did not use extermination camps and gas...
among its faculty—most notably, Robert Faurisson
Robert Faurisson
Robert Faurisson is a French academic who is a Holocaust denier. Faurisson generated much controversy with a number of articles, published in the Journal of Historical Review and elsewhere, as well as various letters he has sent to French newspapers , which deny various aspects of the Holocaust,...
. Gollnisch has collaborated with the white nationalist American Renaissance
American Renaissance (magazine)
-Cancellation of 2010, 2011 conferences:In February 2010, following protests to hotel management of several hotels, which Jared Taylor claimed included some death threats, American Renaissance's biennial conference was canceled...
magazine.
Gollnisch, who is part of the Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
faction within the National Front, along with Bernard Antony, joined the "TSM" faction inside the FN (Tout sauf Mégret
Bruno Mégret
Bruno Mégret is a French Far-right politician. He is the leader of the Mouvement National Républicain political party, but retired in 2008 from political action.-Youth and studies:...
, Anybody But Mégret) during the 1990s crisis, along with Samuel Maréchal, Marine Le Pen
Marine Le Pen
Marine Le Pen is a French politician, a lawyer by profession and the president of the Front National since 16 January 2011...
, Roger Holeindre
Roger Holeindre
Roger Holeindre is a French politician, vice-president of the National Front far-right party. He is a representant of the “national-conservative” tendency, opposed to the “nationalist revolutionaries”...
, Jean-Claude Martinez
Jean-Claude Martinez
Jean-Claude Martinez is a French politician and Member of the European Parliament for the south-west of France. He was a member of the Front National, and was among the Non-Inscrits until the 2007 formation of the Identity, Tradition, Sovereignty Group in the European Parliament...
and Martine Lehideux.
He married a Japanese, Setsuko Takeuchi, in 1981 and they have three children.
Gollnisch was an unsuccessful candidate for the leadership of the National Front in 2011 when the party's founding leader Jean Marie Le Pen retired. Gollnisch was defeated by Marine Le Pen
Marine Le Pen
Marine Le Pen is a French politician, a lawyer by profession and the president of the Front National since 16 January 2011...
, Jean Marie's daughter.
Controversy
Bruno Gollnisch was condemned in January 2007 to a three-month prison sentence on probation and a ordered to pay costs of 55,000 Euros (with interest) by the Lyon tribunal correctionnel on a charge of "an offence of verbal contestation of the existence of crimes against humanityHistorical revisionism (negationism)
Historical revisionism is either the legitimate scholastic re-examination of existing knowledge about a historical event, or the illegitimate distortion of the historical record such that certain events appear in a more or less favourable light. For the former, i.e. the academic pursuit, see...
," which is punished in France by virtue of the 1990 Gayssot Act. Gollnisch had committed the verbal contestation on October 11, 2004, by declaring:
- I do not question the existence of concentration camps but historians could discuss the number of deaths. As to the existence of gas chamberGas chamberA gas chamber is an apparatus for killing humans or animals with gas, consisting of a sealed chamber into which a poisonous or asphyxiant gas is introduced. The most commonly used poisonous agent is hydrogen cyanide; carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide have also been used...
s, it is up to historians to speak their minds ("de se déterminer").
In reaction to a report denouncing the complacent attitude of the Lyon III university with respect to the far right, Bruno Gollnisch reiterated his declarations shortly after its publication. Bruno Gollnisch's declarations, with their implication of holocaust denial
Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial is the act of denying the genocide of Jews in World War II, usually referred to as the Holocaust. The key claims of Holocaust denial are: the German Nazi government had no official policy or intention of exterminating Jews, Nazi authorities did not use extermination camps and gas...
, provoked a scandal, especially in the run-up to the ceremonies commemorating the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz extermination camp. The chancellor of the university asked the Minister of National Education to suspend Professor Gollnisch, and announced the opening of a disciplinary procedure against him.
On 26 December, the chancellor suspended Professor Gollnisch's classes for 30 days. Furthermore, on 2 December, the chancellor excluded him from the university, alleging a possible breach of the peace; however, this decision was overturned by the Conseil d'État on 14 January 2005.
On 2 February, Bruno Gollnisch started teaching again at Lyon III. Students were prevented from entering his lecture room by groups of students from left-wing and Jewish associations. A group of National Front students enabled his students to enter and blocked the protesters. A brawl ensued; police officers arrived on the scene and a National Front student was arrested. Other trouble ensued.
On 7 November 2006, at the opening of the trial, Bruno Gollnisch was asked whether "the organized extermination of European Jews by the Nazi regime (...) constitutes an undeniable crime against humanity, and that it was carried out notably by using gas chambers in extermination camps". He replied "absolutely". Gollnisch was finally found not guilty by the Cour de cassation
Court of Cassation (France)
The French Supreme Court of Judicature is France's court of last resort having jurisdiction over all matters triable in the judicial stream but only scope of review to determine a miscarriage of justice or certify a question of law based solely on points of law...
on 24 June 2009.
Criticism of the Vatican
In August 2010, Bruno Gollnisch - who supports the French Government's move to deport the Roma from French territory - publicly criticised the Vatican for opposing the deportation. He suggested that the evicted Roma should be accommodated in St Peter's Square, Rome, and that the Vatican should then re-state its position.Electoral mandates
- Member of European ParliamentEuropean ParliamentThe European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
: Since 1989 - Member of the National Assembly of France for Rhône (departement)Rhône (département)Rhône is a French department located in the central Eastern region of Rhône-Alpes. It is named after the Rhône River.- History :The Rhône department was created on August 12, 1793 when the former département of Rhône-et-Loire was split into two departments: Rhône and Loire.Originally, the eastern...
: 1986-1988 - Regional councillor of Rhône-AlpesRhône-AlpesRhône-Alpes is one of the 27 regions of France, located on the eastern border of the country, towards the south. The region was named after the Rhône River and the Alps mountain range. Its capital, Lyon, is the second-largest metropolitan area in France after Paris...
: Since 1986 - Municipal councillor of LyonLyonLyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
: 1995-2008