Even in "those days" that posture was already inexcusable. The man who edited Le Petit Vingtième was a literal fascist. Quoting from wikipedia:
>Beginning a series of newspaper supplements in late 1928, Wallez founded a supplement for children, Le Petit Vingtième (The Little Twentieth), which subsequently appeared in Le Vingtième Siècle every Thursday. Carrying strong Catholic and fascist messages, many of its passages were explicitly anti-semitic.
To my mind what forgives this is not the fact that it was done long ago, but simply the fact that he so drastically changed his worldview, and repudiated his earlier work. It takes particular strength of character to admit one was wrong in one's core beliefs, and effect real change which reflects true regret.
>Beginning a series of newspaper supplements in late 1928, Wallez founded a supplement for children, Le Petit Vingtième (The Little Twentieth), which subsequently appeared in Le Vingtième Siècle every Thursday. Carrying strong Catholic and fascist messages, many of its passages were explicitly anti-semitic.
To my mind what forgives this is not the fact that it was done long ago, but simply the fact that he so drastically changed his worldview, and repudiated his earlier work. It takes particular strength of character to admit one was wrong in one's core beliefs, and effect real change which reflects true regret.