Le Front National are appealing to a younger audience, and here’s why
Last weekend saw Paris elect Anne Hidalgo, a Spanish-born socialist, as its first ever female mayor. You’d be forgiven for thinking that this signalled a wave of liberal optimism among French voters, but Hidalgo’s success was merely a consolatory glimmer of light on what has been labelled ‘black Sunday’ for Francois Hollande’s Socialist party. As Paris preened its debonair yet progressive image, towns across France saw unprecedented victories for Le Front National, a far-right party often accused of racism and anti-Semitism.
Le FN as it is known, has taken control of 12 towns including its biggest victory, the 7th district of Marseille, where new mayor, Stéphane Ravier, will preside over 150,000 people in a city renowned for multicultural unrest. In all, Le FN has had 12 candidates elected as mayors, and 1,546 candidates elected as local councillors (conseillers municipaux). This remains a very small percentage of the total, but it is a record high for Le Front National, and was certainly enough to ruffle a few political feathers and spark anger, jubilation, debate, and even violence.
As the results were confirmed, demonstrators swamped the town halls now led by Front National members. Riot police were called in to quell threats of violence towards FN candidates, proving that despite their electoral successes, the party are far from being unanimously accepted. Its leader, Marine Le Pen, may have cleaned up the image created by her father and predecessor, Jean-Marie – who once called Nazi gas chambers a ‘detail of history’ – but many French people just aren’t buying it. Despite cutting any anti-Semitic rhetoric, and expelling members who have made racist comments, for some, Marine and her party remain as abhorrent as ever.
Never one to shy away from a protest, France’s young people have been particularly vocal in condemning Le Front National. The party’s candidate in the town of Forbach logged a formal complaint, after he was threatened by around 40 young demonstrators. In Hénin-Beaumont, where FN candidate Steeve Briois won a majority 50.26% of votes, the young also made their voices heard. National newspaper, Libération, quoted a member of the youth political group Jeunes Héninois Motivés who said: “We’re disgusted. We’d like to leave the town, but we’re not going to abandon where we’re from.” In the same town, young Jewish students had made the 120 mile trip from Paris to protest against the Front National.
These are far from isolated views. Séverine, 27, from Rouen, is worried by recent events: “I think the FN is an aggressive, homophobic, racist party,” she said. “Marine Le Pen is trying to convey an image of normality, she is trying to make the world forget that her father’s rhetoric was marked by racism, anti-Semitic beliefs, and historical revisionism, but to me the fact that she didn’t change the party’s name says a lot about her real views.” She has also noticed that despite not knowing any young people who openly support Le Front National, more and more are seeing it as an alternative. “I used to go to school with a boy who supported the FN… he was the only one I knew who openly supported them… I realize more and more of my friends are saying things like ‘Marine Le Pen might end up being the only solution to our problem’, which, to me, doesn’t mean they’re supporting her party, but I find it really worrying.”
Valerie, who lives in Bordeaux, shares similar views, but thinks that their success has been blown out of proportion: “It’s a band of reactionary racists, 12 cities is NOT a success.” However, she is concerned that more and more young people are turning to the far-right: “As for the young it’s true their number has increased. They vote FN because they despise the other political parties, and also because some of them are reactionary racists as well, a position that more and more people are voicing in France. That worries me.”
These views are echoed again and again. “I think of the FN like many people that they are a racist, xenophobic, fascist party with backwards ideas,” says Yvan, in his early twenties and from Alsace. ”I think that they are a racist party,” says Géraldine, who now lives in England. “I don’t think their reputation is exaggerated, they have often had very controversial views on immigration laws, human rights, taxes, gender equality… also, there’s always been a violent far-right crowd among their supporters.” She too does not know any young people who support them.
However, not all young French people are opposed to the FN. As is often the case when the young become disillusioned by politics, and worried by economic instability, young support for the French far-right has risen. A group of young ‘militants’ in Lille recently made headlines when they boarded the Metro, providing their own self-styled security service and distributing leaflets warning of “anti-white racism” and “Islamic immigration”. As for Le Front National, Marine Le Pen has attempted to seduce younger voters by replacing the fusty, archaic image of her father’s party with a wave of younger candidates, less extreme discourse, and increased social media presence. Arguably, it’s worked. The youth wing of the FN, the Front national de la jeunesse (FNJ), has around 25,000 members and has just created YEAH (Young European Alliance For Hope) bringing together young anti-EU patriots across Europe. The FNJ’s Facebook page is an enlightening microcosm of the mixed views the French youth share. “The best youth movement in the whole of France!” one user writes. “I would like to go into politics, particularly as part of this party,” writes Caroline, a lycée (similar age to sixth form) student. Some comments are less supportive, however: “My urine on your ideas. The interior of my intestine on your thinking. My bile on your subjects.”
Marine Le Pen has attempted to seduce younger voters replacing the fusty, archaic image of her father’s party with a wave of younger candidates, less extreme discourse, and increased social media presence
France is clearly divided, and to quote the old cliché, it is the young that will shape its future. Whilst it seems the majority of young French people are rallying against the far-right, if the ruling elite continues to disappoint, and Le Front National continue to seduce the young and disillusioned, the France of the future may look very different. If Le Front National has its way it will be a France that has closer links to other European far-right groups, that leaves the European Union and reinforces laws restricting the use of English words in advertising and official documents. Le Front National wants a France for the French. “Stop immigration,” they say on their official website, ”Reinforce French identity.” (Ironically, they use the verb ‘stopper’ here, a direct borrowing from English.) Whether the next generation of voters will help them achieve these goals remains unclear.
What is clear is that with an increasingly unpopular President, a Prime Minister who has just quit, and soaring unemployment rates, it’s not a great time to be French, young or old. Unless you’re Marine Le Pen that is. Protest vote, apathy or genuine support, her party have gained most from France’s problems.
Watching Madame Le Pen berate the openness of French borders, the influx of Romanian and Bulgarian immigrants, and her country’s ties to the European Union, the expression déjà vu comes to mind. She may be speaking a different language, and she may not have a pint in her hand, but French politics is playing out like a dystopian parallel of what could happen if our economy declines and the right continues to gain in popularity. Or, if you’re really cynical, what happens if you elect a Socialist. Us Brits, particularly the younger ones, would be wise to keep an eye on events across the channel, and we may just learn from their mistakes. As our economy slowly recovers and unemployment falls, France has seen the reverse. We’ll take your cheese, your wine and your electricity. But your politics? Non, merci.
Images: Wikicommons
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