Le Pen Defeated in France, But Neo-Fascist Parties are On the Rise Across Europe

Interview by Between The Lines' Scott Harris

Jean Marie LePen, leader of the neo-fascist National Front party shocked many in France and Europe in April when he captured enough votes to enter the final round of the French presidential election May 5. Surpassing the Socialist party of Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, LePen faced off against the conservative incumbent Jacques Chirac.

During the first round vote, many French voters stayed home, owing to the perceived lack of difference between Chirac and Jospin. But LePen's entry into the final round with 17 percent of the vote woke up the French electorate -- prompting a million and a half to take to the streets in anti-LePen protests.

With the backing of rival Socialists, Chirac overwhelmed LePen in the May 5 vote by an 82 percent to 18 percent margin. Although LePen was soundly defeated, he did manage to increase his support in the second round by almost a million votes -- a fact which confirmed LePen's appeal to voters angry at immigrants, rising crime rates and elite politicians. LePen and his party hope to capitalize on hostility toward the European Union and anti-globalization sentiment in legislative elections set for June 9 and 16.

Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Doug Ireland, a contributing editor at In These Times Magazine who lived in France and reported on French politics for over a decade. He assesses the results of the French presidential election and the rise of right-wing parties across the European continent, already in power in Italy, Portugal and Norway(A RealAudio Version of this interview may be found at www.btlonline.org).

Doug Ireland is contributing editor at In These Times Magazine. Read Ireland's analysis of the French elections online at www.inthesetimes.com

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