The far right is relocating its May Day. The National Rally (RN), party of Marine Le Pen, expects around 1,400 of its activists, Monday, in Le Havre (Seine-Maritime). Finished the traditional raout of the party to the flame in front of a Parisian statue of Joan of Arc. Now it's time for a "nation's day" geared towards "social peace".
"It's a social choice in the current context," explained an RN executive, also arguing "the big scores" obtained in last year's legislative elections by Frontist candidates in several constituencies in the department, lands hitherto not very promising for the party. "What we are playing is the people against Macron," he continued, against a backdrop of latent protest against the pension reform, which the RN opposed without however participating in the processions.
Marine Le Pen, who is due to end the day after a speech by the new party president, Jordan Bardella, intends "to take stock of the project of deconstruction, dispossession and expropriation of Emmanuel Macron", she said. explained in an interview published Sunday in Le Parisien-Aujourd'hui en France. Castigating the executive, the MP for Pas-de-Calais again felt that there were only "three possible ways out in a crisis: the dissolution of the Assembly, the referendum or the resignation of the president".
"We are in Le Havre at home"
In Le Havre, a working-class city with a strong union culture, the RN banquet will be challenged by a counter-demonstration organized by several associations, as well as by the Le Havre rapper Médine. It will be held at a good distance from the Lepenist meeting, scheduled for Carré des docks, where the mayor of the city, a certain Edouard Philippe, launched his Horizons party eighteen months ago.
A warning, as several voting intention polls for the next presidential election point to Ms. Le Pen and Mr. Philippe as the second-round qualifiers? "It's a wink that amuses me," admits the party's number two, Sébastien Chenu. In an interview with the regional daily Paris-Normandy published on Sunday, Jordan Bardella expressed his ambition "to have an RN mayor in Le Havre in 2026", launching: "We are in Le Havre at home. "But of course..." the former prime minister replied wryly on Twitter.
The May 1 meeting must above all launch the pre-campaign for the European elections, which will be held in a year, for which Mr. Bardella – probable future head of the list – has entrusted the direction of the campaign to deputy Alexandre Loubet. "We are waiting for the ballot with greed: it will be a referendum for or against Macron", stamps a figure of the party, who predicts "a warning shot".
Still on the far right, the Les Patriotes party, led by Florian Philippot, will parade Place du Trocadéro in Paris on Monday afternoon.
