Marion Maréchal-Le Pen: ‘We’ve won the battle of ideas’, by James McAuley.

Seen as more of a political firebrand than her aunt — who has desperately sought to burnish the racist, anti-Semitic reputation of the National Front in advance of France’s pivotal presidential election — Maréchal-Le Pen is expected to be a force in French politics for years to come. …

An interview by the Washington Post:

In your view, what’s the reason so many young voters are drawn to the National Front?

Our youth want French culture to be defended — and that includes our Christian roots, our Latin roots and our Greek roots. They do not want to see those roots disappear under the pretext that we shouldn’t hurt the feelings of some people. France, our social policy is so generous that so many young people have the impression of paying a lot to welcome all of the miserable of the world, when they themselves are already struggling to find a job, to make ends meet and live in dignity. That creates a huge feeling of injustice.

So it’s not just about the party’s economic promises?

The main concern for the youth is the question of immigration. They have the feeling of being deprived of their own identity. The multicultural model defended by our elite is a model that doesn’t work. This model is at the source of the development of terrorism and radical Islam. I think that’s what frightens them the most. …

France is the canary in the coalmine.

hat-tip Stephen Neil