Le Pen Opens Presidential Campaign Amid Unrest in France
French far-right politician Marine Le Pen launches her presidential campaign in Orleans on Sunday, a day after cost-of-living protests again turned violent. Polls show her as the frontrunner.
Marine Le Pen, the French far-right politician running to succeed President Emmanuel Macron in an election six months away, is set to deliver her first campaign speech in the city of Orleans on Sunday. It comes a day after nationwide protests over the cost of living again descended into violence. Polls place Le Pen in front, and she is seen as benefiting from weeks of turmoil in the country.
Saturday's protests
More than 400,000 people marched in major French cities on Saturday against rising living costs. Clashes began when groups of masked protesters split from the demonstrations. Police made over 1,300 arrests. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez blamed much of the violence on "ultra-left" extremists. Similar protests a week earlier also turned violent, following four weeks of student demonstrations over the poor state of schools.
Campaign launch in Orleans
Le Pen is due to address 10,000 members of her party, the National Rally (RN), which is nationalist and opposes immigration. She accuses Macron's centrist government of being soft on violent protesters and lacking authority. On Saturday, counter-protesters opposed to Le Pen and the RN marched in Orleans chanting anti-fascist slogans. Police estimated 13,000 people took part, while organisers said about twice that. Another anti-fascist rally was called for Sunday.
If she wins the two-round election in April and May, Le Pen has pledged to reduce living costs by capping household energy bills, cutting taxes and trimming France's contribution to the European Union. She is also critical of NATO and of French support for Ukraine against Russia's invasion.
Polls and what comes next
An Ipsos survey suggests Le Pen would take 32–34 percent of first-round votes. Most respondents believe the government is responsible for the crisis. Any new president will have little room for extra spending, as France's debt and deficit already exceed EU limits. The Yellow Vest movement has called new protests for next Saturday, and the CGT union is urging strikes from November 5.
