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A British EU official says Waterloo Station and Trafalgar Square should be renamed to avoid offending French tourists.
Francis Carpenter, who's in charge of the EU's European Investment Fund, says they should be called Europe Station and Concord Square.
And he says Paris's Austerlitz station and Avenues Wagram and Friedland, which commemorate Napoleonic victories over the Austrians and Germans, should also be renamed.
Writing in Le Figaro, Mr Carpenter said: "Our urban environments reflect a mental structure right out of the 19th century.
"Our country has known countless victories over our neighbours and the streets and squares named after these victories risk offending a European youth that we should be trying to unite."
But his proposals were condemned by both London Mayor Ken Livingstone and Tory MP Ann Widdecombe, reports the Daily Express.
And a London Tourist Board spokesman said: "We're very sorry if any Frenchman, or indeed woman, finds arriving at Waterloo station insulting, but Britain has a very colourful ancestry and it's one of the reasons people visit us."
Francis Carpenter, who's in charge of the EU's European Investment Fund, says they should be called Europe Station and Concord Square.
And he says Paris's Austerlitz station and Avenues Wagram and Friedland, which commemorate Napoleonic victories over the Austrians and Germans, should also be renamed.
Writing in Le Figaro, Mr Carpenter said: "Our urban environments reflect a mental structure right out of the 19th century.
"Our country has known countless victories over our neighbours and the streets and squares named after these victories risk offending a European youth that we should be trying to unite."
But his proposals were condemned by both London Mayor Ken Livingstone and Tory MP Ann Widdecombe, reports the Daily Express.
And a London Tourist Board spokesman said: "We're very sorry if any Frenchman, or indeed woman, finds arriving at Waterloo station insulting, but Britain has a very colourful ancestry and it's one of the reasons people visit us."
