The presidential candidate for the far-right party National Rally, Marine Le Pen, assured this Sunday in Orléans that, if she wins in the elections scheduled for April and May of next year, she will promote a "rebirth" for France.
During her speech, Le Pen invoked on several occasions the "rebirth" of the nation, a "recovery" and a "resurgence" of the country, but without a "brutal break." She insisted that she does not intend to "recreate the France of the past," but rather "build the France of tomorrow," claiming a "French way of life" and resorting to historical references, particularly to the figure of Joan of Arc.
The far-right leader emphasized her call for unity and an "open and pluralistic government, (...) of national unity," in which she would place Jordan Bardella as prime minister. Her programmatic proposal includes "restoring the rule of law" and applying "zero tolerance" in matters of immigration. In this area, she has proposed a "double border" for Europe and France and "automatic and permanent deportation."
Regarding the social protests of recent weeks, she condemned the "increasingly serious and incomprehensible violence." "We believe in the absolute necessity of combating all forms of violence," she stated. She also committed to "reconnect" with "listening," in contrast to the "dwindling Macronist regime."
On the socioeconomic front, she promised a "fair remuneration for work" and the repeal of "the stupid Hulot law," which bans the exploration of hydrocarbons on French soil starting in 2040.
In foreign and defense policy, Le Pen defended a France "committed to peace and harmony among nations." "We are not going to send our young people to die in reckless or irresponsible military adventures, much less in wars that are not ours," she emphasized.
Regarding Emmanuel Macron's initiative to share French nuclear deterrence with other European partners, she warned that "any concession" in the control of the atomic arsenal would amount to "an act of treason."
Before Le Pen's intervention, the president of National Rally, Jordan Bardella, addressed the audience promising a "victory" before an enthusiastic crowd, while outside, a hundred antifascists were protesting amid a large police presence, following the 13,000 people who marched on Saturday in the same city called by students, unions, and 'yellow vests'.
"They thought they could intimidate you. They thought they could dissuade you from coming. You are 8,500 people gathered here in Orléans," proclaimed Bardella. Just at that moment, activists from the Union of Jewish Students of France (UEJF) unfurled a banner accusing him of antisemitism. The young people were expelled from the room and the party announced that it would file a complaint for "group violence".