A few days ago I predicted that the riots in France would become fodder for the French far-right — the Le Pen and National Front types oft considered xenophobic zealots. Because of the high amounts of violence coming from immigrants, and the weak response by the government, politics will move further to the right. Le Pen will look more appealing, and the governing center-right will have to move further right in order to compete. That’s the gist anyway, so make sure to read the whole article.

Well, guess what? It just may be coming true already.

Once the flames, if not the anger, recede in France’s riot-hit suburbs, a next big challenge for the weakened middle ground of French politics will be beating back far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen, for whom the violence could prove an electoral gift.

Already, the anti-immigration zealot who gave France and Europe a fright by making it through to the second and final round of presidential elections in 2002 thinks that the rioting has revived his hopes for the next polls in 2007.

Because many of the youths lobbing gasoline bombs and rocks come from immigrant families, Le Pen said in an interview Wednesday with The Associated Press that his warnings that “massive immigration” has been disastrous for France have been vindicated.

He claimed that his National Front party has been “submerged” by e-mails of support and is signing up “thousands of new members,” although the party’s national secretary for new memberships said the figure was closer to 1,000, and that they were requests to join over the past week.

“Le Pen was right”

Voters “are saying to themselves ‘Le Pen was right,’” Le Pen said. “We were told that Le Pen is an extremist because he said that immigration problems would lead to disorder. The facts have shown that he was right.”

Leading French politics expert Pascal Perrineau agreed that France’s worst unrest since the May 1968 student riots have played into Le Pen’s hands. While many French voters reject his xenophobic policies, some may be more tempted than ever to vote for the veteran former paratrooper and Foreign Legionnaire to punish mainstream politicians they regard as incompetent and unable to keep the peace or bring down France’s nearly 10 percent unemployment rate.

“Le Pen back in the second round of a presidential election is totally possible. Le Pen winning a majority is totally impossible,” said Perrineau, director of the Center for Political Research at Paris’ esteemed Sciences Po
university.

For his part, Le Pen said he is “more than ever” determined in the wake of riots to stand again in 2007. “If there were presidential elections now, my chances would be increased tenfold,” he said.

Another great follow-up article to read describing this phenomenon is over at Monsters and Critics entitled “Is Le Pen Ruling France?” It goes into detail how the current center-right government is moving closer and closer to policies that Le Pen has always advocated, such as use of the emergency laws, the use of police reservists, the deportation of non-French residents participating in the riots, and more. It’s really an interesting article, and testifies to the possible resurgence of the far-right in France. If this does come about, it would be a deeply troubling development.