France Braces For Election-Related Violence Ahead Of Paris Olympics
Tensions are running high in France ahead of the first round of voting in parliamentary elections Sunday, which some worry could prompt violence in the streets as Paris prepares to host the 2024 Olympic Games at the end of next month.
French President Emmanuel Macron, in the Monday episode of the “Generation Do It Yourself” podcast, warned voters that both the far-right National Rally led by Marine Le Pen and the hard-left France Unbowed party of Jean-Luc Mélenchon don’t have adequate solutions to the challenges the country is facing because they “respond in some way by increasing conflict and civil war.”
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin toldRTL radio that French authorities are bracing themselves for potential violence tied to the election results.
“It’s possible that there will be extremely strong tensions,” Darmanin said Monday.
Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire echoed Darmanin, telling France Info radio he fears for “civil peace” and adding that he sees National Rally as a “factor of disorder and violence.”
The warnings come as Le Pen’s party is expected to score another big win after it won the European elections in early June, in a humiliating defeat for Macron, who decided to dissolve Parliament and call legislative elections with a first round scheduled for Sunday, followed by a runoff on July 7.
“This decision is serious, heavy,” he said during an address to the nation on June 9. “But it is, above all, an act of trust. Trust in you, my dear compatriots. In the capacity of the French people to make the most just decision.”
But Macron’s decision carries risks as it could embolden Le Pen ahead of a likely 2027 presidential run.
Things are currently looking up for the National Rally. According to Politico Europe, as of Sunday, the far-right party is projected to come first with 34% of the vote, trailed by the left-wing alliance dubbed Popular Front led by Mélenchon at 28%, and Macron’s coalition, which is expected to come third with 20% of the vote.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo earlier this month took issue with Macron’s call, especially his timing, as the French capital is set to host the 2024 Olympics starting July 26.
“The president could have given the country a bit of space and attention by acknowledging that the Games could be a nice interlude which would give energy, confidence and hope to a lot of our citizens,” Hidalgo said.
However, Hidalgo tried to reassure those concerned about the elections that Paris will remain a “rampart” against the far right.
