Mayor of French town refuses to sign licence for dogs named 'Itler' and 'Iva'

A mayor in eastern France has refused to sign a licence for two dogs named "Itler" and "Iva" who he claims are owned by an official from France's far-right National Front.

"I don't want to sign this licence ... of course 'Itler' and 'Iva' make you think of Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun, a dubious play on words," said Luc Binsinger, the mayor of the small town of Saint-Nicolas-de-Port.



"I have written to the local prefect to ask him what I can do. In the meantime, I'm not signing," he said, adding he believed the owner of the two American Staffordshire Terriers was a local National Front official. "It's completely mad. Stupid even," added Binsinger.

The owner had already secured an initial licence - required in France for dangerous dogs - but the names had apparently not raised eyebrows at the time. "It's not a question of how dangerous the dogs are, it's a question of principle," said Binsinger. There is in theory no restrictions on naming animals in France, with one exception. You cannot call a pig Napoleon, due to a law aimed at preserving the image of the Emperor which is still on the statute books.