French far-right candidate faces prosecution over election poster

A far-Right election candidate in France is facing prosecution for unveiling an election poster reading: ‘Let’s give white children a future.’

The slogan is accompanied by an image of a blond-haired, blue-eyed boy, and is in support of Pierre-Nicolas Nups of the Parti de la France (Party of France).

Pascal Schneider, the mayor of Neuves-Maisons near Nancy and one of the biggest towns in the constituency, said: ‘This poster is nothing more or less than a rag that sullies the city, the canton, the entire department.’

Mr Schneider said he had filed a legal complaint with public prosecutors, claiming the poster whips up racist hate.

But Mr Nups, who is standing in the 5th constituency of the eastern Meurthe-et-Moselle department, said in retort: ‘I approved this poster. It is neither sectarian nor exclusive.

‘On the contrary, it delivers a positive message, a message of hope for our youth, and nothing else. And if anyone sees anything else in it, it would be a malicious interpretation.’

It comes as France prepares for one of the most divisive polls in its history, with even President Emmanuel Macron warning that a civil war is a possibility should either the far-Right National Rally party or a far-Left coalition led by the France Unbowed party. 

A far-Right election candidate in France is facing prosecution for unveiling a poster with an image of a blonde, blue-eye boy and the slogan: ‘Let’s give white children a future’

The poster is in support of Pierre-Nicolas Nups of the Parti de la France (Party of France), who is standing in the 5th constituency of the eastern Meurthe-et-Moselle department

The far-Right National Rally (RN) is currently ahead in the polls, despite a history soiled by racism, including Holocaust denial.

Its founder, Jean Marie Le Pen, is a convicted anti-Semite, but his daughter – Marine Le Pen – has insisted that she has cleaned it up and made it fit for government.

The Parti de la France is an offshoot of the Front National, founded by supporters of Jean Marie Le Pen, but candidates such as Mr Schneider are not being endorsed by the RN.

If the RN wins an absolute majority following two-round elections that start on Sunday, President Macron would be forced to appoint Jordan Bardella, president of the RN, as his prime minister.

Such a development is known as Cohabitation in France, and would result in the RN being able to introduce a legislative programme.

Extreme leftists also have a chance at power, thanks to a New Popular Front that is putting up a single candidate in each constituency, rather than splitting the potential vote between Socialists, Communists and other factions.

On Monday, Mr Macron said on the podcast ‘Generation Do It Yourself’ that the RN manifesto was based on ‘stigmatisation or division’.

He claimed: ‘I think that the solutions given by the far right are out of the question because it is categorising people in terms of their religion or origins and that is why it leads to division and to civil war.’

Mr Macron also had tough words for France Unbowed (LFI), a party that leads the New Popular Front, saying: ‘But that one as well, there is a civil war behind that because they are solely categorising people in terms of their religious outlook or the community they belong to, which in a way is a means of justifying isolating them from the broader national community, and in this case, you would have a civil war with those who do not share those same values.’

If the RN wins an absolute majority following two-round elections that start on Sunday, President Macron would be forced to appoint Jordan Bardella, president of the RN (pictured), as his prime minister 

French President Emmanuel Macron said a victory for either the hard-Left or hard-Right could lead to ‘civil war’

Marine Le Pen at an RN press conference on June 24, 2024, ahead of legislative elections

Unsurprisingly, the leaders of both parties quickly condemned the President’s comments. 

When asked about Macron’s comments, Bardella replied to M6 TV: ‘A President should not say that.

‘I want to re-establish security for all French people.’ 

Marine Le Pen – who is gunning to succeed Macron as president in 2027 – said his argument was ‘weak’ and showed ‘he thinks he’s lost this election’.

LFI leader Jean-Luc Melenchon also slammed the president’s comments in an interview with France 2 TV, saying it was Macron’s own policies that were bringing about civil unrest, such as in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia.

French politics were plunged into turmoil when Macron called snap legislative elections after his centrist party was trounced by the RN in a European vote earlier this month.

Weekend polls suggested the RN would win 35-36% in the first round on Sunday, ahead of a left-wing alliance on 27-29.5% and Macron’s centrists in third on 19.5-22%.

A second round of voting will follow on July 7 in constituencies where no candidate takes more than 50% in the first round.