I find it very disconcerting that the far-right National Front (FN) has won the first round in France’s regional elections. While the second and third rounds have not yet commenced, the likelihood of the party winning the election appears now to be quite likely unless Francois Hollande’s incumbent Socialists and the Republicans led by former President Nicolas Sarkozy unite and vote tactically in certain regions. If you want to realise how damaging this could all be, look no further than PM Manuel Valls’ remark that an FN victory could lead to a “civil war”. It would be an understatement to call the National Front a polarising party.
If we look at some of the FN’s policies, namely banning dual citizenship for non-Europeans only, you must make the concession that parties of this sort will always have some semblance of racism embedded in them. Considering their attitude towards foreigners, xenophobia is in their DNA. In fact its founder, Jean-Marie Le Pen once described the holocaust simply as a “detail of history”. While his daughter and current leader of the party Marine Le Pen, claims to have done much to have stamped racism out of the party, (having gone as far as to kick his father out of the party earlier this year) making minorities feel targeted does little to quell that notion. Trying to ban Halal and Kosher products are only going to alienate people and promote a culture of intolerance. Surely the sign of a strong state is a malleable one which can accept diversity?
So why are French people voting for the FN? The ongoing migrant crisis, coupled with the Paris attacks which took place last month have led many to believe that only the National Front can keep France secure. The party aims to cut immigration into France from 200,000 people a year to 10,000, potentially reinstate the death penalty, and grant the police with greater powers. Marine Le Pen is also renowned for being a charismatic speaker, and so all these factors have convinced voters to reject traditional parties on both the left and the right.
While I disagree with the assertion that Donald Trump is a fascist, Marine Le Pen might actually be one. She supports giving the authorities more powers when it comes to tapping phones and monitoring the internet. Furthermore, Marine Le Pen’s comparison of Muslims praying in the street to Nazi occupation is simply ridiculous. A larger and more ultra-nationalistic nation, are components of fascism which the FN, unfortunately, abide by. This kind of demagoguery from a party that is keen taking to us the past is not a welcome sign for a country which aspires to be progressive and unified. My concern is even though most French people do not have views that are in line the FN, any governance under them would breed even more division and fuel racist sentiments among people. It’s for these reasons that I feel France is on a dangerous and very slippery slope.
Agree, disagree? Drop a comment below!
Pertinent Problems 
Reactionary politics suits these parties well. Havoc is their stock and trade. Trumps republicans swim in it and it appears the FN does too.
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It’s exactly that which fuels these parties I’m afraid.
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You are a quite biased. You say that Le pen’s comparison to German occupation is unfair. Islam is a supremacist ideology. Thousands of Muslims, intentionally blocking up streets, is a clear show of force, in line with this ideology. Why else do Muslims block up the streets, making it impossible for people to get through? It’s a sign of force and power, aimed at intimidating and imposing on the native population.
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Okay, I’ll address your points one at a time.
“You are quite biased”
This is an opinion piece, but even then I don’t think I have misrepresented the views of the FN, tell me where I have.
“Islam is a supremacist ideology”
I would say the ideology of the FN is one of supremacy and division. Radical Muslims (and I suppose there is debate over whether they are even Muslims) certainly would want to establish a despotic regime but that would never happen because not enough people are inclined to support that kind of crazy regime.
“Thousands of Muslims, intentionally block up the streets”
I don’t support praying on the streets, but I don’t agree with intimidating Muslims and I would certainly never compare it a military occupation where tens of thousand of people were sent to death camps.
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Even if the Fn is supremacist, that doesn’t lessen what Islam’s own supremacism. It’s a silly old trick, used to deflect attention away from
Islam, that comes in a variety of packages. You implied that there are not there are not enough people worldwide to establish a ‘crazy’ caliphate. What about the life of Muhammed? What about the Ottoman Empire? What we are seeing in the modern day, is simply a revival of these traditions. Islamic law, doesn’t come from Buddhism. These people behead apostates, as according to the Quran.
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I’m sorry but your last sentence is ridiculous because those are the select actions of a death cult. Christianity has a plethora of verses that condone brutality too; the reason people don’t harp on about that is because these days not many people kill in the name of Jesus. If you look at the socioeconomic situation of many Muslims its that which breeds violence. Furthermore, I would make the argument most Muslims are not literalists in their reading of the Qur’an, much like the Christians with the Bible and the Hindu’s with the smriti.I’m not skirting over the problem we face, which is a very real one, but scapegoating peaceful Muslims is not conducive to a solution.
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Yes Christians have committed grave crimes. Most Muslims areant terrorists. But to suggest that the Islamic state areant in some way drawing inspiration from Islam is a lie. Why else do they proclaim it the Islamic state? Muslims get very defensive of this fact. You refer to socioeconomic factors. Is the reason Saudi Arabia executes people for blasphemy, apostasy, adultery, homosexuality, and witchcraft due to socio economic factors? Of course not. This is the heart of the Islamic world. Why areant disbelievers allowed to enter Mecca? The root of Islam is not some nice stuff, and attempts to distract this by bringing up Christianity are not only disingenuous, but they are beside the point, and it does nothing to negate the damage that Islam is causing around the world.
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I never said they weren’t, it’s obvious they are. Some enduring aspects of Islam should certainly be consigned to history, but you surely cannot think that the FN will provide constructive dialogue to an issue as sensitive as this?
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problem is they have seen how Merkle has taken one viewpoint and the result so they are taking the opposite view and no one is actually thinking or even considering the middle ground. What that is I do not know but the one thing I am certain of is this not all Muslims are terrorists but it seems all the terrorists are Muslims… not an easy path to walk for any political party or people. Where as we do not condone the actions of these people we cannot judge them all as the same BUT without THEIR help there is no real answer is there???
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I’ll agree that it’s a complex situation.
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