A Dublin school has been asked to apologise for employing a Nazi collaborator and SS officer as a French teacher.
For nearly three decades, Louis Feutren taught at St Conleth’s College in Ballsbridge where he was violent and abusive towards the boys he was employed to look after.
Originally from Brittany in France, Feutren was a nationalist who fervently believed in independence for his native region.
After the Nazis conquered France in 1940, many Breton nationalists saw it as an opportunity to separate from the French Republic once and for all.
The nationalist group Bezen Perrot, which Feutren was a member of, collaborated in the round up of French Jews and other people who resisted German occupation.
Following the fall of the Nazis in 1945, Feutren fled to Ireland where Breton nationalists were welcomed as fellow Celts.
“A blind eye, basically, was turned to them in some ways as Celtic nationalists,” Irish Times journalist Ronan McGreevy told Moncrieff.
“They weren’t the only ones, the IRA themselves, for instance, had collaborated with the Nazis in the Second World War - as had a lot of organisations like Flemish nationalists and Croatian nationalists and so on.
“So, they were able to hide in plain sight here.”
French teacher
Although he despised France, Feutren took seriously the business of teaching the country’s language and was unforgiving towards pupils he did not think were very good at it.
“He was also a very violent teacher,” Mr McGreevy said.
“There are many testimonials, including from Uki Goni, who is the son of the former Argentine Ambassador to Ireland, who went to the school when he was 14 in 1971.”
Apology
St Conleth’s College knew that Feutren was a “literal Nazi” but employed him from 1957 until 1985.
Nearly 40 years after Feutren’s time as a teacher came to an end, former pupils have called on the school to reflect and apologise on their decision to hire him.
“The main reason they have raised it is because he was a Nazi collaborator and former SS officer who taught at the school for over 30 years,” Mr McGreevy said.
“The school knew about it and did nothing.”
St Conleth’s College has been contacted for comment.
