Divisions erupt in neo-fascist National Front during French legislative election
By
Francis Dubois
16 June 2017
After the first round of the French legislative elections Sunday, where the National Front (FN) had less than 14 percent of the vote, the internal tensions that emerged after FN candidate Marine Le Pen’s defeat, in the second round of the presidential elections on May 7, have exploded. This week in particular, there were bitter exchanges between FN General Secretary Nicolas Bay and the party’s vice president, Florian Philippot.
Philippot, who came from the nationalist movement of ex-Socialist Party (PS) leader Jean-Pierre Chevènement, is the architect of the “de-demonization” strategy of the FN, which aims to convince the electorate that the FN has broken with its fascist origins. Bay was responsible of the FN’s campaign in the legislative elections, while Philippot led the presidential campaign.
Speaking to Le Parisien, Bay attacked Philippot on Monday, saying he “regrets that some in the party have made contradictory noises instead of concentrating on the legislative campaign.” Philippot replied with a reply aimed at Bay, who was eliminated in the first round of the legislative elections in his district: “I arrived in first place in my electoral district, I do not feel targeted by this at all. But everyone has an element of responsibility in this, including those who organized the legislative campaign.”
Public disputes among the FN leaders since the elections have erupted on various grounds, like the presidential election alliance the FN made with right-wing nationalist Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, or Marine Le Pen’s performance in TV debates. But it is the FN’s position on the European Union (EU) and the euro that has emerged as the main…