A small French town has gained sudden internet attention as its mayor, Charles Hittler, seeks re-election in Sunday’s municipal poll, with one of his opponents, Antoine Renault-Zielinski, also drawing attention due to his name.
“It has gone completely crazy,” lamented Charles Hittler, mayor of Arcis-sur-Aube (population 2,785), when contacted by the BBC.
“All my life I’ve had the occasional joke made about my name. 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.”
The mayor of Arcis-sur-Aube says online discussions have spiralled, with social media users making comparisons between Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, simply based on the candidates’ names.
Hittler admits the attention has become overwhelming.
“If people were talking about the town and our policies, that would be one thing. But all they’re interested in is our names,” he said.
Explaining the origins of his surname, Hittler said his family comes from Alsace, near the German border, and that his father had been taken to Germany during World War II under a forced labour programme.
“After he came back he met my mother. Everyone said, ‘You’ve got to change your name.’ This was 1949. The war was a recent memory But it was a huge administrative headache and it would have cost a lot of money, so they didn’t.”
He added that the name is gradually disappearing within his family, as younger generations adopt different surnames or alter pronunciation to avoid stigma.
“Once you are known, the name begins not to matter. People look at the person behind the name. To my familiars, I was just ‘Monsieur Charles’. So I decided to keep it,” he said.
While Hittler leads a centre-right list, Renault-Zielinski represents a far-right movement. The latter, a 28-year-old customs officer with Polish roots, has also found himself fielding questions about his name.
“People are often asking me if I am related to Zelensky – to which I have to answer no, pointing out that the Polish name ends in an ‘i’ and the Ukrainian in a ‘y’,” he told BFMTV.
“On Sunday I began seeing messages about our names circulating on X and I thought it was just a silly joke. But gradually I realised that everyone is talking about us!
“I can see why people find it amusing. Personally, it doesn’t make me laugh, but it doesn’t bother me either. It would be better if people were talking about Arcis for other reasons, but at least we’re on the map.”
The town itself has historical significance, having been the site of a battle led by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1814. It is also the birthplace of Georges Jacques Danton.
Sunday’s run-off election will see Hittler face Renault-Zielinski and a third candidate, Annie Soucat, after the incumbent secured a narrow lead in the first round.
Though the surname Hitler was rare even before World War II, it has almost completely disappeared in the decades since.
