French torture device auction called off after outcry :

PARIS (AFP) - A French auction house on Friday called off the planned sale of a collection of torture devices dating back three centuries, which had sparked outrage among rights groups and in Algeria.
Some 350 objects, from a hand-crusher to hanging ropes and written death sentences, collected by France's last executioner Fernand Meyssonnier until his death in 2008, had been slated to go on sale on Tuesday in Paris.
A former chief executioner in French-ruled Algeria, Meyssonnier carried out 198 executions between 1957 and the country's independence in 1962, devoting the rest of his life to retirement and his torture collection.
French auction house Cornette de Saint Cyr was organising the sale in Paris for the benefit of the Meyssonnier family. However, following the wave of protests, it said Friday it had cancelled the auction.

Published on Mar 31, 2012
From websitehttp://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNew ... 83872.html

I'm also disappointed, as I am whenever anybody caves in to "political correctness". Conversely, it is easy to understand what a sensitive topic this is to the large Algerian segment of the French population and people in the country of Algeria itself. France's record of torture in Algeria is absolutely abominable. The world criticism of France's tactics there was roughly equivalent, maybe even greater, than the criticism leveled at America in more recent times for waterboarding. Imagine if America had a relatively large population of people of Iraqi descent and a collection of CIA waterboarding equipment was being publicized. Or, for that matter, if artifacts pertaining to Leopold II's atrocities in the Congo came up for sale in Belgium.

PARIS (AFP) - A French auction house on Friday called off the planned sale of a collection of torture devices dating back three centuries, which had sparked outrage among rights groups and in Algeria.
Some 350 objects, from a hand-crusher to hanging ropes and written death sentences, collected by France's last executioner Fernand Meyssonnier until his death in 2008, had been slated to go on sale on Tuesday in Paris.
A former chief executioner in French-ruled Algeria, Meyssonnier carried out 198 executions between 1957 and the country's independence in 1962, devoting the rest of his life to retirement and his torture collection.
French auction house Cornette de Saint Cyr was organising the sale in Paris for the benefit of the Meyssonnier family. However, following the wave of protests, it said Friday it had cancelled the auction.

Published on Mar 31, 2012
From websitehttp://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNew ... 83872.html

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I am not happy about this as I was a registered bidder for this sale.

No matter how "politically incorrect" such objects may be, these items are important historical artifacts. How on earth can we expect future generations to learn from the mistakes humanity has made in the past if the unpleasant bits of our history are swept under the rug and kept hidden from view?

If we did that there would be no slavery memorials, no tours of concentration camps, no war museums, and even no Titanic exhibitions.

S.S.

PARIS (AFP) - A French auction house on Friday called off the planned sale of a collection of torture devices dating back three centuries, which had sparked outrage among rights groups and in Algeria.
Some 350 objects, from a hand-crusher to hanging ropes and written death sentences, collected by France's last executioner Fernand Meyssonnier until his death in 2008, had been slated to go on sale on Tuesday in Paris.
A former chief executioner in French-ruled Algeria, Meyssonnier carried out 198 executions between 1957 and the country's independence in 1962, devoting the rest of his life to retirement and his torture collection.
French auction house Cornette de Saint Cyr was organising the sale in Paris for the benefit of the Meyssonnier family. However, following the wave of protests, it said Friday it had cancelled the auction.

Published on Mar 31, 2012
From websitehttp://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNew ... 83872.html

Click to expand...

Well, perhaps it is best we cover up those awful things from the past. They certainly have no instruction for us today.

Like this upcoming thing of Easter. Maybe we ought to forget that as well. All that nasty stuff of crucifying and such. Uggh. So terrible.

Absolutely no relevance today.