If anyone wants to see an elected politician making a mockery of the political party they represent one should read what the French vice- president of the National Front, an openly anti-immigrant, Marine Le Pen said at a rally in Lyon a fortnight ago.
The daughter of French far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen apparently forgot the ideology of the Nazis and the doctrine she would have received from her father. Which political party can feel ideologically more closer to the Nazis and yet make such an inflammatory comment: “For those who want to talk a lot about World War II, if it’s about occupation, then we could also talk about it (Muslim prayers in the streets), because that is occupation of territory.”
She continued with her speech which is part of her bid to take over the far- right party leadership when her father steps down in January, next year: “It is an occupation of sections of the territory, of districts in which religious laws apply. It’s an occupation, there are of course no tanks, there are no soldiers but it is nevertheless an occupation and it weighs heavily on local residents.”
Marine Le Pen, mother of two children who described herself as a feminist wants to end her party’s isolation and appeal to the mainstream. But with her recent comments, it shows that this is the true face of the far right which has not changed in the slightest. They even try to change their public image with a career oriented mother who also has outspoken views on homosexuality, to the horror of some in her own party. No wonder that her negative reference to the ‘occupation’ will have annoyed some of her party extremists; they might have secretly preferred that the Nazis had stayed.
This is classical rhetoric to win the vote of the electorate: “France has been invaded by Muslims.” As always anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim and anti-foreigner comments are designed to win elections. In recent weeks, according to one public opinion poll, Marine Le Pen’s approval rating has risen to 33%, just three points behind President Sarkozy.
Is that surprising? Of course not!
Sarkozy’s expulsion of gypsies and crackdown on immigrant crime will again be used to raise his profile for the prudential elections in 2012. It will, therefore, not surprise us that he will be accused of moving his policies to the right. No surprise then to hear that one of his aides who has stated that Sarkozy agrees with the junior Le Pen that the streets cannot be allowed to become ‘ as extension of mosque’ as it does in some parts of Paris.
Well, the vile practice of playing the card on ‘race and religion’ is to continue and taken to a new level. The stage is set as Sarkozy has managed to lead the Western world by banning the wearing of the Muslim veil in public.
Le Pen and Sarkozy can learn from each other and will compete to win votes in a destructive way that will further alienate its minorities. Do they have anything else to say on the France’s economy and the state of its education system that is failing its young people mainly from minority communities? The state of its housing that fails to provide safe and decent housing for the vulnerable in their cities and urban centres? I suspect the diversion of the voters from the real issues to whip up hysteria over visible minorities, may serve as a convenient route to power.
All indications are that it is possible for both Sarkozy and Le Pen to work together, hand in hand and play the anti-immigration card. But they then should not be surprised when the roads will be taken over by youth of French migrants who definitely have something to say about the politics in France. We have seen them erupt in anger in various cities of France, often in the face of State brutality and injustice of the social policies such as access to employment policies and quality of housing. The socialist party are silent and the vacuum on the political landscape is being filled by the rising tide of populist right wing parties and their policies. The marginalisation of mainly Algerian communities and those from the former French colonies continues to gather pace. Will this provide for a more equal, fairer and tolerant France in the 21st Century?
It looks as if Marine Le Pen and Nicolas Sarkozy may have conveniently forgotten their school history lesson when they were taught about the finer points of the French Revolution.
They ignore history at their peril.
Copyright Semra Eren Nijhar – All rights reserved
Semra Eren-Nijhar 