Why is the far right gaining ground in France?
Al Jazeera
The French far right is capitalising on rising nationalist sentiment gripping countries in Western Europe.
Paris, France – A decade of shrewd planning by Marine Le Pen and opportune timing has put the French far right in a position of unprecedented strength heading into 2024.
Le Pen’s party, the National Rally (Rassemblement National, RN), has been able to build on its historic success in last year’s French presidential election and is set to gain seats in the European Parliament elections next June.
Support for far-right parties is growing across Europe. Populist, anti-immigrant parties across the continent have racked up a series of impressive – if once unthinkable – victories, most recently in the Netherlands.
Mainstream politicians worry the far right is already poised to strike in France as well.
In a joint interview, two special advisers to the former French Presidents, Francois Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy, recently told French newspaper Le Monde that the country was “living through its worst democratic crisis since the 1930s”, mostly because of the RN’s rising power and popularity.
