Emmanuel Macron offers himself a final indictment against the extreme right

POLITICS – It was a moment dedicated to the international. In theory anyway, and partly yes. Live from 20-Hours on TF1 and France 2 in Caen after the ceremonies for the 80th anniversary of the Liberation this Thursday, June 6, the President of the Republic returned to the war between Ukraine and Russia, restated his position on a Palestinian state. But he also took the opportunity to shed light on the dangers of a victory for the extreme right in Europe, while in France, Jordan Bardella’s National Rally list is in the lead.

Questioned by Anne-Sophie Lapix on his promise to limit the tidal wave of the extreme right at the polls, Emmanuel Macron did not hide it: “That’s what I’m doing, speaking, trying to convince”he said.

And for this, the president threatened a “blocking minority” of the far right in the European Parliament “if tomorrow France sends a very large far-right delegation (and) if other countries do it.” In line with his speech at the Sorbonne, he took up his slogan of a Europe “deadly” and that “has never been so threatened”. But in the last 24 hours of the campaign, the head of state added to his speech a very strategic patriotic dimension in the duel between him and Jordan Bardella’s list.

“Europe of vaccines” vs “chloroquine”

First of all, list the risks of a surge by the extreme right, for Europe but also for France. Thus on the response to the coronavirus pandemic with, instead of “the Europe of vaccines”“ people who will give you chloroquine or the Sputnik vaccine” ; on the economy with the refusal to vote for the recovery plan; and finally, on immigration, the favorite ground of the National Rally and Reconquest! “If you have tomorrow the extreme right which has a blocking minority in Europe, faced with the illegal immigration that we are experiencing, you will no longer have the texts which protect us because they believe in the nationalist and not European response »he said.

The Head of State also spoke of the explosive international situation, the “terrorist risks”, the development of AI but also “the climate challenge”. So many themes of this European campaign likely to affect voters who remain little mobilized for the vote. “Ask yourself, faced with each of these challenges, are we stronger French, or French and European? The answer is Europe”did he declare.

Macron calls for “a start” through “patriotism”

By claiming the “patriotism” of his call to “a start”, Emmanuel Macron addressed the electorate tempted by far-right parties who are making the loss of France’s sovereignty a campaign argument. This is evidenced by this sequence of the debate against Gabriel Attal, where Jordan Bardella had mentioned (wrongly) a supposed loss of France’s right of veto, presented as “the hidden project” of Renaissance and its allies.

“Not going to vote means leaving the future of our continent and our country to others. (…) Today I am fighting to convince as many of my compatriots as possible to vote, to help France to be stronger in Europe and to help Europe to be stronger to protect France,” urged the President of the Republic.

While the official campaign ends on Friday June 7 at midnight, the interview with the President of the Republic caused people to cringe as soon as it was announced. Several opposition parties had contacted Arcom, criticizing “campaign at a time when no one will be able to respond to him”. Criticisms were immediately brushed aside by the head of state this Thursday evening, who replied: “ I have difficulty understanding how talking about Russia, about what is at stake in these European elections, is not being in my role. »

But nationalizing the vote in this way is not without risk, while voices are being raised, in the RN but not only, to draw Franco-French lessons from the results of Sunday evening. “ I always hear the messages, it’s never anecdotal,” assured Emmanuel Macron. While calling for “do things in the right order”that is to say, first of all, “go vote”. The rest, Sunday evening.

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