The French far right
Several crises have also overshadowed the achievements of his presidency, including the ‘Gilets Jaunes’ movement, which initially started as a protest against rise in taxes on diesel fuel but turned into protests over poor living standards and low pay (Abboud 2024). Furthermore, the internet has supported the growth of populist parties such as the RN, allowing them to reach a wider audience, but also the media has facilitated the mainstreaming of far-right ideologies by amplifying the racist rhetoric and by supporting issues related to immigration and cultural identity. This has helped to popularize the populist narrative that ‘ society is separated into two homogenous and antagonistic groups, “ the pure people ” and “ the corrupt elite ”’ (Mudde 2016). In this essay, I will explore the significant challenges the Rassemblement National potentially poses to France and Europe. The rise of the far-right party has highlighted various pressing concerns, particularly their hardline stance on immigration and economic policies that could hinder long-term growth and stability. Additionally, the general far-right climate scepticism raises alarms and could have far-reaching consequences for policymaking for both France and the European Union. Immigration has consistently been at the forefront of French politics and has played a pivotal role in shaping French elections and policy over the past several decades. Mass migration has led to the far- right anti-immigration rhetoric gaining much traction. It has been ‘ catapulted to the mainstream of political discourse ’ along with other topics such as national sovereignty and Euroscepticism (Polyakova and Shekhovtsov 2016). The 2015 refugee crisis, triggered by conflicts in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, led to approximately 1.3 million migrants, predominantly Muslims, moving to Europe, with over a million arriving in Germany alone; the Paris terrorist attacks in November 2015 only confirmed to many citizens the ‘Islam ization of Europe’. Many are also concerned about a potential collapse of their country’s welfare state and a loss of national identity , as immigration is not simply the influx of people but also an ‘ influx of images and emotions and arguments ’ which could alter national culture and a country’s traditions (Krastev 2017). These events have ultimately caused parties in Europe like the RN in France, the AfD [Alternative for Deutschland – German far- right party] and Austria’s Freedom Party to grow in support as their anti-immigrant stance is very attractive to many native citizens. The far-right anti-immigration stance threatens the very fabric of the EU, particularly its key principles of free movement and free trade. Marine Le Pen proposes policies that would reimpose checks at France’s land borders with Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy and Spain, thus helping to cut immigration levels but also casting doubt on the sustainability of the Schengen agreement ’s open borders. These RN measures would violate EU laws on free movement and free trade and risk dismantling the EU single market, which depends on open borders and cross-border cooperation. Furthermore, the RN would prioritize French nationals for housing, employment, and welfare benefits. Such policies could institutionalize discrimination and create a second-class status for migrants, undermining social cohesion, civic liberal traditions, and the values of equality and non-discrimination protected by both French and EU law. Not only does the RN’s immigration stance threaten European unity but so does Marine Le Pen’s relationship with Russian President, Vladimir Putin. In Russia, Le Pen is portrayed as a leading European politician and an authentic patriot who shares Russian ideology: political and geopolitical sovereignty, economic sovereignty and cultural sovereignty [the nation is perceived as a homogenous
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