René Martial  René Martial (17 October 1873 in Paris – 23 January 1955 in Vendôme) was a French anthropologist during the thirties and the Vichy era (1940–1944). René Martial appears in books on the history of Vichy or of anti-Semitism as an example of « French-style racism ». The social trajectory of this character disappears behind the excessive visibility of his collaboration and his works. Yet, before being a « racist », R. Martial was a hygienist who claimed to be a socialist. According to William H. Schneider « the views on immigration stated by French politician Jean-Marie Le Pen fit well with Martial's earlier ideas »