The leader of Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party says it will look to have Antifa and other militant far-left extremist groups banned if it wins next year’s French presidential election.
The right-wing populist party is leading in the polls with up to 38% of the vote, and leader Jordan Bardella is likely to be appointed Prime Minister if Ms Le Pen replaces Emmanuel Macron as president.
Mr Bardella warned during an appearance on CNews on Saturday that Antifa was the “armed wing” of far-left party La France Insoumise (LFI), which police which orchestrated so-called student protests that resulted in weeks of rioting in September and October.
He said he would ask the European Union to “include ‘Antifa’ militias and all far-left organisations on the list of terrorist organisations”, which he said were stirring up immigrant-background youths and stoking their racial resentment and desire for vengeance against France.
“I call upon the French people to be wary of those who preach civil war, those who seek to erase France, and those who wish to replace its identity,” Mr Bardella said.
“We have seen this manifest in the streets of Paris: a convergence involving a proxy – an armed wing, if you will – consisting of the ‘ultra-left.’ This group, which maintains certain ties to deputies from La France Insoumise, ought to be classified as a terrorist organisation.
“The far-left has effectively become the armed wing of La France Insoumise, and the predators from the suburbs – whose desire for revenge against France is fuelled and stirred up by La France Insoumise. I am, therefore, extremely concerned about the conduct of this party.”
Earlier this year Mr Bardella condemned the LFI over the alleged murder of nationalist student Quentin Deranque by a far-left extremist group founded by one of its MPs, and Nice Mayor Eric Cotti also called for Antifa to be banned following last month’s riots.
Donald Trump designated Antifa as a domestic terrorist organisation in September last year, and in November banned Antifa groups from Germany, Italy and Greece as foreign terrorist organisations, while vowing to continue to target other Antifa groups across the globe.
Header image: Left, Ms Le Pen and Mr Bardella at a rally last month. Right, rioting in France (X).
