Marshal Pétain's trial was an existential trial on the very definition of France, says Julian Jackson. Marine Le Pen chose to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the appeal of June 18 on the island of Sein, not that of the anniversary of his death.
The oldest of the jurors, Georges Lévy-Alphandery, declared that having been born in Alsace he was inclined to severity. We weren't talking about the issue of Jewish deportation at the time. It's very surprising indeed.