France's Far-Right Sparks Hope and (in true RW tradition) Fear ahead of Election
"She's my queen!" gushes Patricia, waiting for the arrival of Marine Le Pen, leader of France's far-right National Front. "Marine represents everything the people of France want. I don't know what to say –- she's wonderful, magnificent."
The political momentum is firmly behind the National Front (FN) whose anti-immigration and anti-EU platform saw it take first place in European elections and win control of 11 town halls last year. With the French economy in prolonged stagnation and many fearful over the relentless news of jihadists in their midst, her talk of quitting the European Union, tightening borders and cracking down on radical Islam resonates.
"People have the feeling they are being left behind by globalisation," said Vincent Rousseau, a 26-year-old English teacher standing for the FN in Ribemont. "Everyone is suffering here. When you suffer, you want a radical solution."
But many view the FN's rise with horror. Some are waiting outside the Noyon community hall to greet Le Pen with shouts of "fascist". "Even if she hides it behind her beautiful blonde hair, there are neo-Nazi ideas underneath," said one of the protesters, 47-year-old Pierre, who declined to give his last name. "After she's kicked out the immigrants, it's us who will be next -- the people who think."
http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/172024-france-s-far-right-sparks-hope-and-fear-ahead-of-election
As usual the far-right is anti-everything: anti-immigration, anti-EU, anti-Muslim, anti-free movement.