France Faces 'Rise In Racism' As Far Right Poised For Power

Anti-immigration ideas pushed by the far right in France are contributing to a rise in racism across the country, a report from the nation’s human rights commission has found.

- TOM WATLING

Following Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October last year, the report found there has been a 284 per cent spike in antisemitic attacks, while tolerance is “declining towards all minorities”.

And ahead of this weekend’s first round of crunch elections in France with the far-right National Rally (RN) currently leading in the polls, the report warned of a European trend towards more extreme right-wing politics at the expense of “equality, fraternity and freedom”.

The snap elections were called by French president Emmanuel Macron after RN earned more than 30 per cent of the vote in European parliamentary elections at the start of June, soundly beating Mr Macron’s centrist alliance.

RN, with its figurehead Marine Le Pen, currently enjoy an eightpoint lead in the polls, running on a platform that proposes restricting the rights of immigrants in France. Among their policies is the “national preference” plan, which would afford priority to those born in France when seeking employment or social benefits.