I.5. Laval, antisémite qui s’ignore et persécuteur cynique

Abstract

The young Pierre Laval, a revolutionary socialist who challenged the bourgeois French Republic’s claim to universality, did not see himself as anti-Semitic—quite the contrary. Mocked for his looks and accused of being an immigrant, he decided to take advantage of his rumored Jewish heritage, even if it meant adhering to an essentialist vision. To him, being Jewish was a sort of alter ego that cast him as a victim of the elites’ contempt—no different from the humble Auvergnat. This identity made him incapable of hating or harming others.However, social climber that he was, the young man became a member of Parliament (1914), then mayor of Aubervilliers (1923) and a senator. He began weaponizing anti-Semitic prejudice and hatred for his opponents as early as WWI and the 1920s. The defeat in 1940 led him to radicalize both his viewpoints and actions. The “Toppler of the Republic” used unabashed xenophobia to justify institutional reform on July 10. The policy of collaboration he created on his own anticipated the Nazis’ expectations in terms of anti-Semitic legislation (Jewish Statutes, October 3). When he returned to government office in April 1942, Laval helped the police tasked with deporting foreign Jews to the occupied territory and deporting anyone in the socalled Free Zone. Although he refused to hand over his fellow citizens, signifying the sovereignty of his government, and taking into account the unpopularity of such a policy, he only belatedly opposed plans regarding the massive denaturalization of French Jews. He eventually offered to hand over Jewish children, knowing perfectly well what would happen to them. During his trial, the man who behaved so long without principles appeared remorseless.