France is banning activist groups as presidential rivals jockey for position ahead of 2027 poll
And like much of French politics right now, the latest moves are intertwined with jockeying by political rivals ahead of 2027 presidential elections.
Emmanuel Macron won't be able to stand for re-election in 2027 after serving as president for the maximum two terms, and presidential hopefuls are trying to make the most of a highly inflammatory political context, both on the domestic and international stages.
As extreme political forces made significant gains in recent parliamentary elections, leaving a fractured legislature, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau — a senior member of the government who is eager to succeed Macron — is hitting out at various groups to show his credentials.
On Wednesday, Retailleau confirmed plans for the dissolution of the Urgence Palestine group, a collective calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza which has accused Israel of genocide. During an interview with Europe 1-CNews, Retailleau said that banning the group was a blow to 'Islamism.'
'Islamism is an ideology that tries to use a religion as a tool," he said. "We need to hit Islamism so that we can protect our Muslim compatriots.'
The planned dissolution of Urgence Palestine is the latest move in the French government's strategy to bring down groups deemed as extremists. Retailleau told the lower house of the Parliament this week that he started a similar procedure against a left-wing movement called the antifascist Young Guard.
That group, which is supported by political figures from the hard left, was created in Lyon in response to the growing presence of far-right activists in the city. Retailleau said he is also seeking the dissolution of a group close to the "ultra-right" movement called Lyon Populaire.
The interior minister is a hardline conservative working within the centrist government of Prime Minister Francois Bayrou. Retailleau is bidding to become the leader of Les Républicains and represent his party at the 2027 presidential election.
Racist and antisemitic acts
Retailleau's announcements came on the eve of the May Day celebrations, which are often marred by violence on the sidelines of events marking International Workers' Day, and amid a surge in antisemitic and islamophobic incidents in Europe against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war.
France's National Consultative Commission on Human Rights last year reported a 32% spike in racist incidents in 2023, and an 'unprecedented' surge in antisemitic acts, up 284% from 2022. The report said the numbers were likely an undercount, given that many victims of racism don't file complaints.
In this context, presidential contenders, including leftist challenger Jean-Luc Melenchon and far-right stalwarts Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella, are all playing their cards.
Melenchon attended a rally in Paris last week after a man suspected of killing a Muslim worshipper in a French mosque in an attack that was described by Bayrou as described by Bayrou as Islamophobic. Melenchon was moved to tears after a woman told him how Muslims no longer feel safe in France and that a red line had been crossed.
'That's for sure,' replied Melenchon, who accused Retailleau of nurturing 'a climate of Islamophobia.'
Melenchon in recent years has taken a clear stance in defense of Muslims, with many political rivals accusing him and his hard-left France Unbowed party of antisemitism. He strongly denies the accusations.
Siphoning off far-right voters
On the other side of the spectrum, fearing that the current government's hardline stance on immigration and the fight against extremism could lead to a siphoning off of its voters, far-right leaders have accused Retailleau of just pretending to be tough.
In February, after one person was killed and police officers injured in a knife attack in the eastern French city of Mulhouse conducted by a 37-year-old Algerian man, Bardella said Retailleau should either 'act or step down.'
The suspect had arrived in France without papers and was arrested and convicted of glorifying terrorism in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. After several months in prison for that conviction, the suspect was confined to house arrest as authorities sought to expel him to Algeria.
'Perhaps in order to please the National Rally electorate and right-wing voters, (Retailleau) is making more and more statements, except that the same things are happening over and over again,' Bardella said.
Retailleau, who will likely face stiff competition from rivals including former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin in his 2027 bid, has clearly made the fight against Islamism his rallying cry.
His strategy of overtaking the far-right on its themes bears many similarities to Nicolas Sarkozy's successful presidential campaign in 2007, when he beat a Socialist rival in the second round of ballot to succeed Jacques Chirac after the far-right candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen was eliminated in the first round with just 10% of votes.
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