French politician sparks outrage by suggesting Adolf Hitler 'did not kill enough Travellers'

A politician in France has caused outrage by suggesting that Adolf Hitler 'did not kill enough' of French Travelers.

Gilles Bourdouleix, MP and mayor of the town of Cholet in the Maine and Loire region of western France, is facing expulsion from his party and legal action by the state after he allegedly made the comments .

Bourdouleix was reported to have made the comments during an encounter with a group of Travellers who had parked over 100 caravans in a field owned by the local authority.

According to the local paper Le Courrier de L'Ouest, the meeting, in which Bourdouleix told the Travellers they would have to move on, was tense.

Some Travellers also accused him of racism and a few making a Nazi salute towards him.

The Guardian reports that Bourdouleix in a hushed tone reportedly said that this showed that Hitler maybe didn't kill enough of them.

The MP has denied making the comments, insisting that he had been the victim of a "scandalous montage" and was considering suing.