Outside the arena in the city of Orleans, supporters strolled, eating hot dogs and fries and buying Le Pen-branded T-shirts and scarves before going inside. Yet beneath the festive atmosphere lay deep anxiety about France’s future among the roughly 8,500 people who had come to hear the leader of the nationalist, anti-immigration party.
Le Tourneau, who travelled for nearly an hour to attend the rally, voiced his growing concern about insecurity in France, even though he had not personally experienced it in the rural area where he lives. “I’m scared because things have gotten extremely worse over the past ten years,” the 25-year-old told AFP. “I’m worried things will keep getting worse if the National Rally doesn’t come to power next year.” Polls show that Le Pen, who has already made three unsuccessful presidential bids, is the frontrunner in the race to succeed centrist President Emmanuel Macron in next year’s election.
However, critics accuse her Eurosceptic party of remaining fundamentally racist, despite her efforts to distance it from the legacy of her father, who co-founded what was then called the National Front and was convicted for racist and antisemitic remarks. Her campaign launch came after weeks of unrest across France, where mostly peaceful mass demonstrations have occasionally degenerated into violence and looting unseen in years. Accusing Macron’s centrist government of being soft on violent protesters, Le Pen pledged on Sunday to “restore the rule of law”.
For Jacques Olivier, 65, a longtime supporter of the National Front and later the National Rally, the stakes could not be higher. “Marine has to win, or France will collapse,” said Olivier, who had come from the Paris region. He partly blamed immigration for what he saw as a rise in crime and violence. “When you open the borders to the whole world, some not-so-good people come to our country to profit from us and to loot,” he said, calling for a “radical change”. “We have nothing to lose and everything to gain,” he added. Le Pen is running for the top post after an appeals court earlier this year upheld a corruption conviction against her, but shortened the ban that prevents her from holding public office.
The choice of Orleans was symbolic: Joan of Arc had lifted an English siege there in 1429, before being burned at the stake two years later. Le Pen invoked the Catholic warrior, who is revered by the far right as a symbol of national resistance, in her speech, recalling how she had freed the city from a “foreign threat”. Among those moved by Le Pen’s message was Marie, a 19-year-old supporter with two French flags poking out of her bag, who wanted a tougher stance on immigration. “Those who love France must stay, and those who don’t must leave,” she said, refusing to give her surname. She also believed Le Pen would put an end to the “terrible” violence that has marred recent protests. “There would be no more violent demonstrations,” she said.
However, despite the gloomy picture supporters painted of France’s current situation, the atmosphere inside the arena was optimistic. Throughout the evening, the crowd repeatedly erupted into chants of: “We will win! We will win!”
Source: France 24 Live News