French election sees Hittler face off against Zielinski
A small French town with a population of less than 3,000 has gone viral after its upcoming mayoral election will see Charles Hittler go up against Antoine Renault-Zielinski.
The tiny town election has become a political affair in a global arena after the names of the politicians involved have caused quite the online stir.
Speaking to the BBC, the current Mayor of Arcis-sur-Aube, Hittler, admitted that the internet response has “gone completely crazy”.
Referencing his unfortunate namesake, which of course harkens back to the leader of the Nazi party, Adolf Hitler, the politician added, “All my life I’ve had the occasional joke made about my name.”
However, with the internet involved, the ordeal has grown legs: “Sometimes people drew moustaches on my election posters. It was never a big deal. But now it’s out of control. I’ve seen online articles saying ‘37% of the people of Arcis are Hitlerites!’. My wife is in tears.”
Hittler is struggling with the nomenclature parallels between himself and his opponent, who has a name strikingly similar to Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky.
The unprecedented focus on their names is frustrating for the mayor, who wants the town, and those interested in the election, to focus on policies: “If people were talking about the town and our policies, that would be one thing. But all they’re interested in is our names.”
Hittler falls in the centre-right, while his opponent, 28-year-old Zielinski, is in the far-right Patriot movement, whose main policies usually focus on reducing immigration and defending “French identity”, as well as championing greater independence from European Union regulations.
The businesses of their namesakes are less of an annoyance for Zielinski, who has stated, “I can see why people find it amusing. Personally, it doesn’t make me laugh, but it doesn’t bother me either.”
He went on, “It would be better if people were talking about Arcis for other reasons, but at least we’re on the map.”