Antifa leader elected as a member of the French Parliament

'I worry about France's long-term stability, as political violence is already common, and far-left militants are encouraged to take direct action. We should expect more violence moving forward,' said journalist Andy Ngo about the recent French election.

Remove Ads

During the recent elections in France, the race for reaching power was explosive. After the first round of legislative elections, it seemed likely that the next government would be led by the right-wing Rassemblement National.

However, in a dramatic turn of events, 224 candidates withdrew for the second round to facilitate a coalition of left and far-left parties, resulting in a surprising outcome. The Nouveau Front Populaire alliance won the presidency despite having fewer votes than the Rassemblement National. 

Among the newly elected deputies, an Antifa member entered the Parliament. Raphaël Arnault of the left-wing alliance easily defeated his right-wing opponent. His inclusion on the watchlist due to his anti-fascist collective has sparked controversy. The far left’s presence in Parliament has brought language such as "fascist" and "racist" into common use, with some members refusing to shake hands with Rassemblement National MPs, labelling the party as untouchable.

Andy Ngo, an expert on the American far-left and Antifa, provided his insights on the situation in France. "The recent elections in France parallel what happened in America in 2016," Ngo explained. "Many Democrats in the U.S. adopted radical leftist and Antifa rhetoric in opposition to Donald Trump." Ngo noted that the far-left bloc in France fielded candidates openly aligning with Antifa, resulting in an Antifa member's election to Parliament.

"We've seen this legitimization of radical tactics in America, which were rewarded electorally," Ngo said. "I worry about France's long-term stability, as political violence is already common, and far-left militants are encouraged to take direct action. We should expect more violence moving forward." He also expressed concern about the mainstreaming of leftist political violence, which he believes will lead to more instances of violence.

Ngo highlighted the influence of radical ideologies on young people, noting that these individuals often get their information from social media and legacy media, which reinforce leftist viewpoints. "Radical ideology is being introduced in schools and universities, leading young people to be easily misled," he said.

Remove Ads
Remove Ads

Don't Get Censored

Big Tech is censoring us. Sign up so we can always stay in touch.

Remove Ads