A far-right election candidate in France is being prosecuted for unveiling an election poster that read: “Let’s give white children a future.”
The slogan is accompanied by an image of a boy with blond hair and blue eyes, and is in support of Pierre-Nicolas Nups of the Parti de la France (Party of France).
Pascal Schneider, mayor of Neuves-Maisons near Nancy and one of the largest towns in the constituency, said: “This poster is nothing more or less than a rag that tarnishes the city, the canton, the entire department.”
Mr Schneider said he had filed a legal complaint with the prosecutor’s office, claiming the poster incited racist hatred.
But Mr Nups, who stands in the fifth constituency of the eastern department of Meurthe-et-Moselle, replied: ‘I have approved this poster. It is neither sectarian nor exclusive.
“On the contrary, it conveys a positive message, a message of hope for our youth, and nothing else. And if anyone sees anything different in it, that would be a malicious interpretation.”
It comes as France prepares for one of the most divisive polls in its history, with even President Emmanuel Macron warning that civil war is a possibility if the far-right National Rally party or a far-left coalition led by the France Unbowed side .
A far-right election candidate in France is being prosecuted for unveiling a poster with an image of a blond boy with blue eyes and the slogan: ‘Let’s give white children a future’
The poster is in support of Pierre-Nicolas Nups of the Parti de la France (Party of France), who stands in the 5th constituency of the eastern department of Meurthe-et-Moselle
The far-right National Rally (RN) is currently leading in the polls, despite a history tainted by racism, including Holocaust denial.
Its founder, Jean Marie Le Pen, is a convicted anti-Semite, but his daughter – Marine Le Pen – has insisted she cleaned it up and made it suitable for government.
The Parti de la France is an offshoot of the National Front, founded by supporters of Jean Marie Le Pen, but candidates like Mr Schneider are not supported by the RN.
If the RN wins an absolute majority after the two-round elections starting on Sunday, President Macron would be forced to appoint Jordan Bardella, president of the RN, as his prime minister.
Such a development is known in France as cohabitation and would lead to the RN being able to introduce a legislative programme.
Far leftists also have a shot at power, thanks to a New Popular Front that fields a single candidate in each constituency, rather than splitting potential votes between socialists, communists and other factions.
On Monday, Macron said on the “Generation Do It Yourself” podcast that the RN manifesto was based on “stigmatization or division.”
He claimed: ‘I think the solutions of the far right are excluded because it categorizes people based on their religion or origin and therefore this leads to division and to civil war.’
Mr Macron also had harsh words for France Unbowed (LFI), a party leading the New Popular Front, saying: “But even that, there is a civil war behind it, because they categorize people solely based on their religious views. or the community to which they belong, which is in a sense a way of justifying isolating them from the broader national community, and in this case you would have a civil war with those who do not share the same values.”
If the RN wins an absolute majority after the two-round elections starting on Sunday, President Macron would be forced to appoint Jordan Bardella, president of the RN (pictured), as his Prime Minister
French President Emmanuel Macron said a victory for both the far left and far right could lead to a ‘civil war’
Marine Le Pen at an RN press conference on June 24, 2024, ahead of the parliamentary elections
Unsurprisingly, leaders of both parties were quick to condemn the president’s comments.
When asked about Macron’s comments, Bardella replied on M6 TV: ‘A president is not allowed to say that.
“I want to restore security for all French people.”
Marine Le Pen – who wants to succeed Macron as president in 2027 – said his argument was “weak” and showed “he thinks he has lost these elections.”
LFI leader Jean-Luc Melenchon also denounced the president’s comments in an interview with France 2 TV, saying it was Macron’s own policies that led to civil unrest, such as in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia.
French politics were thrown into turmoil when Macron called early parliamentary elections after his centrist party was defeated by the RN in a European vote earlier this month.
Weekend polls suggested the RN would win 35-36% in the first round on Sunday, ahead of a left-wing alliance on 27-29.5% and Macron’s centrists in third place on 19.5-22%.
A second round of voting will take place on July 7 in constituencies where no candidate receives more than 50% in the first round.