Jordan Bardella came to Hénin-Beaumont (Pas-de-Calais), and it was not, as he had promised to the Lepéniste mayor of the town two years ago, to “rolling in a Leclerc tank on his shitty town hall”. Things are not going better between Steeve Briois, close to Marine Le Pen and councilor of the municipal showcase of the far right, and the president of the National Rally (RN), head of his party’s list in the European elections on June 9.
But Jordan Bardella’s campaign could not ignore what he calls “one of the bastions of French resistance”. He had sweet words for the mayor, who, for his part, welcomed him like this: “We will come to power, and it will be on a social and popular line, bringing together people from the right and the left, because this is the line that Marine Le Pen defends. » Good.
The atmosphere is better in the two rooms of the François-Mitterrand space in Hénin-Beaumont – the first, with a capacity of 2,500 people, was not enough to accommodate the sympathizers. The daisies of the residential area opposite, in the shadow of the majestic slag heap 92, are dying under the cars registered 59 (North) and 62 (Pas-de-Calais).
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The debate the day before between Jordan Bardella and Gabriel Attal did not demoralize the troops, far from it. Here, we retained the attitude “mocking” of the Prime Minister and his smile “snide”. “That’s what bothers me about him, like Macron who thinks he’s a God. Their attitude shows that they are afraid, that they know they are going to get beaten up.”, judge Stéphanie, 49-year-old nurse. In 2017, the personality of the President of the Republic convinced her to vote for Marine Le Pen for the first time.
Others noticed Gabriel Attal’s smile less than the difficulties of their champion, like Enzo, a young Lille resident who watched the debate between activists: “We found him a little soft, he couldn’t place one. » Even the deputy (RN) of Pas-de-Calais Thierry Frappé agrees that there was “ups and downs and[il] expected more », but he found Jordan Bardella superior on nuclear power and immigration. The official line, however, is full of self-satisfaction, the Lepenist oils considering that the Prime Minister has, by his aggressiveness, damaged himself more than his opponent.
Gabriel Attal in the crosshairs
While feigning the greatest tranquility, the far-right duo nevertheless added the head of government, until now never in the line of fire, to the list of their campaign targets. On stage, Marine Le Pen is angry with the observers who gave the Prime Minister an update. “For twenty-four hours, the press, so neutral, so objective, has been telling us how much Gabriel Attal has shone, astonishing France with his talent”, she begins. Before citing a survey, with obscure methodology, concluding that the French “exposed” to the debate “granted victory to Jordan Bardella”. The proof, she insists, of the disconnection between the press and the country.
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