Skip to Content

Marine Le Pen: ‘Saving France’

Published: October 8, 2016, 9:21 am

    Read more

    The leader of France’s Front National is welcomed like a true hero in the French countryside. Marine Le Pen was greeted this summer by huge banners in small villages, one which read: “Marine: Saving France”.

    Le Pen returned for la rentrée, the national return to work after the long summer holidays, as the country’s governing Socialists and centre-right opposition Les Républicains are locked in a fierce power struggle.

    Her slogan, La France apaisée [Soothing France], have thus won her not only voters who are tired of the political “bloodbath” in Paris, but also those who want to see the end of a Europe of bankers, mass immigration and the loss of France’s sovereignty

    Meanwhile in Paris, Socialist president François Hollande, deeply unpopular, is feeling the heat to stand down in order for Emmanuel Macron to lead his struggling party, even though the finance minister who resigned recently, has not committed himself to running yet.

    On the right, former president Nicolas Sarkozy, mayor of Bordeaux Alain Juppé and former prime minister François Fillon have engaged in a bitter fight for the leadership of the Republicans.

    In Brachay, a few kilometres from Colombey-les-deux-Eglises, where General Charles de Gaulle is buried, Le Pen spoke of “a forgotten France, a France abandoned by the self-appointed elite who either don’t see it or view it with a kind of condescension”.

    “They describe places like Brachay as la France profonde [deep France]. I prefer to think of it as deeply patriotic France,” she said to loud cheers.

    “The presidential campaign that is starting is unlike any other. The coming eight months will decide the fate of our nation, not just for the five years to come, but much longer. Maybe even for ever.”

    Her audience warmed to her words instantly: “It’s true”, “you’re right”, “that’s why we need you”, they cried. They also singled out the the media, subservient to the political elite and hostile to the FN, as collabos [collaborators].

    Le Pen has promised to follow in the footsteps of the “courageous British who, despite dire warnings, chose their destiny”, and voted for Brexit.

    Although there is little crime and almost no foreigners in the countryside, there are cases of severe poverty “mostly among those who work and who earn less than those who don’t and get benefits”, the mayor of one village explained.

    Opinion polls suggest Le Pen could get 28-29% of the votes in the first round of the presidential election next year. If the Socialists get rid of Hollande, Le Pen might be up against a leftist in the second round, and not Juppé or Sarkozy.

    All of the last 38 opinion polls carried out in France suggest the FN leader will be in the second round.

    karin@praag.org

    Consider donating to support our work

    Help us to produce more articles like this. FreeWestMedia is depending on donations from our readers to keep going. With your help, we expose the mainstream fake news agenda.

    Keep ​your language polite​. Readers from many different countries visit and contribute to Free West Media and we must therefore obey the rules in​,​ for example​, ​Germany. Illegal content will be deleted.

    If you have been approved to post comments without preview from FWM, you are responsible for violation​s​ of​ any​ law. This means that FWM may be forced to cooperate with authorities in a possible crime investigation.

    If your comments are subject to preview ​by FWM, please be patient. We continually review comments but depending on the time of day it can take up to several hours before your comment is reviewed.

    We reserve the right to del​ete​ comments that are offensive, contain slander or foul language, or are irrelevant to the discussion.

    Politics
    NATIONALIST COLLABORATION TAKES SHAPE. Six parties met in Budapest on August 26th to sign a joint declaration confirming the friendship and political unity among the parties. The goal is to either form a new group in the European Parliament after the EU elections in June next year or to reconstitute the existing Identity and Democracy (ID) group with the new parties. Pictured from left to right: Mikael Jansson (Alternative for Sweden), Thierry Baudet (Forum for Democracy, Netherlands), László Toroczkai (Mi Hazánk, Hungary), Kostadin Kostadinov (Vazrazhdane, Bulgaria), and Josef Nerušil (Svoboda a přímá demokracie, Czech Republic). Also included is Mass-Voll from the non-EU country Switzerland (inset image). Photo: Free West Media

    European Nationalist Parties Forge Cooperation Ahead of EU Elections

    EUROPEAN ELECTIONSOn Saturday, August 26, representatives of six European nationalist parties gathered in Budapest. The meeting was initiated by the Hungarian party Mi Hazánk and took place in the national parliament. Representatives of the parties signed a joint declaration that not only reaffirms the parties' friendship but also their unity on a range of complex political issues. A surprisingly clear and radical manifesto was established. The hope is that this cooperation will lead to success in the EU elections and eventually result in the formation of a group in the European Parliament. For Swedish nationalism, this meeting marks a success as Sweden, for the first time, has a party represented in a leading nationalist cooperation in Europe. Free West Media was present at this historic event.

    Alternative for Germany held its conference during the last weekend of July in the thousand-year-old city of Magdeburg, located by the Elbe River in the eastern German state of Saxony. The first of the two conference days began with a strong program speech by the party's male spokesperson. Subsequently, party officials were elected and motions were addressed. The second day was entirely devoted to candidate selection and positioning for the EU election in June next year. Screenshot: AfD on Facebook

    Strong Confidence in German AfD

    Alternative for Germany (AfD) held a party conference on July 29-30 to select candidates for the upcoming EU election next year. EU Parliament member Maximilian Krah, belonging to the party's more radical, ethnonationalist faction, was appointed as the top candidate. The party's two spokespersons delivered powerful speeches criticizing the EU's failed migration policy and trade sanctions that isolate Europe and Germany from the rest of the world. They argued that it's time for the EU to return a significant portion of its power to national parliaments. However, they have dropped the demand for Germany to exit the EU.

    Maximilian Krah is one of the AfD politicians who is singled out as an ethnonationalist, as he has stated that there is a distinction between ethnic Germans and immigrants who have obtained German citizenship. Krah is a Member of the European Parliament and AfD's top candidate for the upcoming European Union election next year. Still image: AfD on Facebook

    The Establishment Wants to Ban Germany’s Second Largest Party – for the Sake of Democracy

    The rising popularity of AfD has raised strong concerns within the establishment. Despite lies and demonization in the media and isolation from the overall political establishment, the party continues to grow. Certain representatives of the party are accused of becoming increasingly "extreme," and in an unusual move, the influential weekly newspaper Der Spiegel demanded that AfD be "banned."

    Daniel Friberg, founder of the publishing house Arktos, tells Nya Tider that they intend to counter censorship by starting new ventures, including an online cultural magazine and an online university. Photo: Arktos

    Publisher of Unique Literature Worldwide Blocked by International Distributor

    Arktos has distinguished itself by publishing groundbreaking philosophers and social critics. Now, the publisher's international distributor has abruptly terminated the cooperation, and more than 400 already printed titles cannot reach their audience. There is strong evidence that the distributor has been under pressure, something that has also happened in Sweden. We have spoken with Arktos founder Daniel Friberg about the ongoing struggle for freedom of speech in a shrinking cultural corridor.

    Challenges for the Arctic

    MoscowThe Arctic region is facing demographic decline and climate challenges and beyond that, economic value creation through Arctic technologies and innovations which are dependent on a transforming geopolitical context.

    Clinton donors showered FBI director’s wife with money

    WashingtonDonald Trump blasted the FBI's director on Sunday night, telling supporters in Michigan that he rejected the bureau's latest move to exonerate Hillary Clinton, calling the system "rigged".

    Go to archive