National Rally Faces Backlash for Racist and Xenophobic Remarks, Prompting Expulsions and Withdrawals of Candidates

In recent weeks, the French far-right National Rally has been facing controversy due to several of its candidates making racist and xenophobic statements. The leader of the party, Marine Le-Pen, has promised to sanction any candidate or member who makes “inadmissible comments,” but has stressed the importance of differentiating them from those who have simply made “gross mistakes.” Several candidates from the National Rally have been expelled and their candidacy withdrawn for their controversial statements.

Le Pen has alluded to the case of Paule Veyre de Soras, who said that in the National Rally there are “Jews, Muslims and Spaniards,” and claimed that she went to a Jewish ophthalmologist and a Muslim dentist as examples of diversity. However, Le Pen acknowledged that Veyre de Soras’ approach was “clumsy” but insisted that it did not prove racism. She also blamed certain media outlets for bringing compromising statements by some National Rally candidates to light.

Bardella had already acknowledged on Wednesday that there may be “black sheep” among the candidates for the National Group in response to a photograph of a candidate wearing a Luftwaffe cap surfacing on social media. He had no knowledge of it at the time and withdrew his candidacy after discovering it. Bardella emphasized that when there are black sheep, he doesn’t hesitate to take action as he did with him.

The National Rally’s controversies come after several incidents involving its candidates linked to xenophobic or racist attitudes came to light in recent weeks. Despite these controversies, Le Pen remains committed to maintaining her party’s stance on immigration and national security.