Sarkozy Holocaust plan sparks anger

PARIS, Feb. 16 (UPI) -- French President Nicolas Sarkozy is under attack for his plan to have fifth graders learn more about the 11,000 French children who died in the Holocaust.

"Every day the president throws out a new unhappy idea with no coherence," said philosopher Pascal Bruckner. "But this last one is truly obscene, the very opposite of spirituality."

Sarkozy announced the new curriculum Wednesday during a speech to France's Jewish community saying every French child should be "entrusted with the memory of a French child-victim of the Holocaust."

The Holocaust already is taught in French schools, but Sarkozy's plan would require each child to learn about a specific victim their own age who died during the Nazis' extermination of Jews during World War II, the New York Times reported Saturday.

Critics warn the focus on victims could traumatize the fifth graders while diverting attention from the Vichy government's collaboration with the Nazis during World War II.