Bruno Gollnisch (; born 28 January 1950) is a French academic and politician, a member of the National Front (FN) far-right party. He was a member of the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...

and was chairman of the European Parliamentary group ' Identity, Tradition, Sovereignty' in 2007, which was dissolved in November 2007 following the defection of the

Greater Romania Party The Greater Romania Party ( ro, Partidul România Mare, PRM) is a Romanian nationalist political party. Founded in May 1991 by Eugen Barbu and Corneliu Vadim Tudor, it was led by the latter from that point until his death in September 2015. The ...

. He was thereafter a Non-Inscrit. Gollnisch has also been the executive vice-president of the FN from 2007 to 2011. He was also a councillor of the ''

Rhône-Alpes Rhône-Alpes () was an administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it is part of the new region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. It is located on the eastern border of the country, towards the south. The region was named after the river Rhône ...

'' '' région'' of France. Because of his public comments, and his position in the National Front he is a controversial figure in France.

Education

Gollnisch was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine. He studied law,

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

and far-eastern languages with the view to becoming a diplomat. He met

Jean-Marie Le Pen Jean Louis Marie Le Pen (, born 20 June 1928) is a French far-right politician who served as President of the National Front from 1972 to 2011. He also served as Honorary President of the National Front from 2011 to 2015. Le Pen graduated fro ...

while studying at Nanterre university. He also became a reserve officer in the

French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...

. In 1971–1973 he was granted degrees in Japanese and

Malaysian Malaysian may refer to: * Something from or related to Malaysia, a country in Southeast Asia * Malaysian Malay, a dialect of Malay language spoken mainly in Malaysia * Malaysian people, people who are identified with the country of Malaysia regard ...

- Indonesian by the

INALCO Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales ( en, National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations), abbreviated as INALCO, is a French university specializing in the teaching of languages and cultures from the world. ...

. In 1973, he was awarded a degree in political sciences at ''

Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris , motto_lang = fr , mottoeng = Roots of the Future , type = Public research university''Grande école'' , established = , founder = Émile Boutmy , accreditation ...

(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 at Panthéon-Assas University. Since 1980, he has been an attorney at the bar of Paris.

Academic career

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 Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand ...

university. In 1981, he became professor of Japanese language and civilisation at the University of Lyon III – a position which he holds to this day. The humanities division of University Lyon 3 is notorious for the profusion of FN supporters and

Holocaust deniers Holocaust denial is an antisemitic conspiracy theory that falsely asserts that the Nazi genocide of Jews, known as the Holocaust, is a myth, fabrication, or exaggeration. Holocaust deniers make one or more of the following false statements: * ...

among its faculty—most notably, Robert Faurisson. Gollnisch has collaborated with the

white nationalist White nationalism is a type of racial nationalism or pan-nationalism which espouses the belief that white people are a raceHeidi Beirich and Kevin Hicks. "Chapter 7: White nationalism in America". In Perry, Barbara. ''Hate Crimes''. Greenwoo ...

American Renaissance The American Renaissance was a period of American architecture and the arts from 1876 to 1917, characterized by renewed national self-confidence and a feeling that the United States was the heir to Greek democracy, Roman law, and Renaissance ...

'' magazine.

Political career

Gollnisch, who is part of the

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

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 Marine Le Pen, Roger Holeindre, Jean-Claude Martinez, Samuel Maréchal and Martine Lehideux.Erwan Lecoeur, ''Dictionnaire de l’extrême-droite'', Larousse 2007, pp.263–264 Gollnisch served as the President of the Alliance of European National Movements (AENM) from 2010 until 2013, when his party left the AENM to join the more moderate

European Alliance for Freedom The European Alliance for Freedom (EAF) was a pan- European political party of right-wing Eurosceptics. It was founded in late 2010, the party was recognised by the European Parliament in 2011. It did not seek registration as a political party ...

(EAF) and so unify the National Front under the EAF banner. 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.

Controversy

Gollnisch was condemned in January 2007 to a three-month prison sentence on probation and 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 humanity, " which is punished in France by virtue of the 1990

Gayssot Act The Gayssot Act or Gayssot Law (french: Loi Gayssot), enacted on 13 July 1990, makes it an offence in France to question the existence or size of the category of crimes against humanity as defined in the London Charter of 1945, on the basis of wh ...

. Gollnisch had committed the verbal contestation on 11 October 2004, by declaring: :''I do not question the existence of

concentration camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...

s but historians could discuss the number of deaths. As to the existence of

gas chamber A gas chamber is an apparatus for killing humans or other animals with gas, consisting of a sealed chamber into which a poisonous or asphyxiant gas is introduced. Poisonous agents used include hydrogen cyanide and carbon monoxide. History ...

s, it is up to historians to speak their minds ("de se déterminer").'' In reaction to a report denouncing the complacent attitude of the University Lyon III with respect to the far right, Gollnisch reiterated his declarations shortly after its publication. Gollnisch's declarations, with their implication of

holocaust denial Holocaust denial is an antisemitic conspiracy theory that falsely asserts that the Nazi genocide of Jews, known as the Holocaust, is a myth, fabrication, or exaggeration. Holocaust deniers make one or more of the following false statements: ...

, provoked a scandal, especially in the run-up to the ceremonies commemorating the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz

extermination camp Nazi Germany used six extermination camps (german: Vernichtungslager), also called death camps (), or killing centers (), in Central Europe during World War II to systematically murder over 2.7 million peoplemostly Jewsin the Holocaust. The v ...

. 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, 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, Gollnisch was asked whether ''"the organised 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. On 23 October 2012, Gollnisch visited Hungary to deliver a speech in honour of

Jobbik The Movement for a Better Hungary ( hu, Jobbik Magyarországért Mozgalom), commonly known as Jobbik (), is a conservative political party in Hungary. Originating with radical and nationalist roots, at its beginnings, the party described itself ...

, a party described as "anti-Semitic" by the New York Times and as "extremist" by Marine Le Pen. In the speech, Gollnisch declared that the Treaty of Trianon was "unjust and shameful." Condemnation of the Treaty of Trianon is seen by Romania as the endorsement of irredentist claims on Romanian territory and of the redrawing of the map of Europe.

Criticism of the Vatican

In August 2010, Gollnisch – who supports the French Government's move to deport Roma from French territory – publicly criticised the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...

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.

Personal life

He married Setsuko Takeuchi, from Japan, in 1981 and they have three children.

Electoral mandates

* Member of

: Since 1989 * Member of the National Assembly of France for Rhône (departement): 1986–1988 * Regional councillor of

: Since 1986 * Municipal councillor of

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...

: 1995–2014

References

External links

*
Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gollnisch, Bruno 1950 births Living people People from Neuilly-sur-Seine Lycée Janson-de-Sailly alumni Sciences Po alumni Paris 2 Panthéon-Assas University alumni Kyoto University alumni MEPs for East France 2004–2009 MEPs for East France 2009–2014 French traditionalist Catholics National Rally (France) MEPs MEPs for France 1989–1994 MEPs for France 1994–1999 MEPs for France 1999–2004 20th-century French lawyers University of Lyon faculty French Japanologists MEPs for South-East France 2014–2019 Articles containing video clips National Rally (France) politicians