After the riots, the RN replays the opposition between countryside and suburbs

2023-07-08 07:00:02
Marine Le Pen, the president of the RN group, at the National Assembly, July 4. JULIEN MUGUET FOR “THE WORLD”

Louis Aliot is annoyed. He is not sure he wants to be there, this Monday, July 3 in front of the town hall of Perpignan, for the rally in support of the mayors mobilized and, sometimes, attacked during six nights of urban violence. “Another gathering for nothing”, he said to himself first, before changing his mind. In ten minutes, on the porch, he transforms the moment of contemplation in political discourse and lists the multiple reasons for his anger. There is one that particularly animates him: these suburbs, “what is he (their) need more? » Too much money has been spent on priority neighborhoods for city policies, explains, microphone in hand, the mayor of the largest commune of the National Rally (RN) in France. Ironically, nine of the ten priority districts of the Pyrénées-Orientales are under its jurisdiction; a quarter of its constituents live there.

For a week, the far right has been sounding the tocsin against a possible new “suburban plan”, which the government also seems to be ruling out. In the speech of the RN, the denunciation of the money devolved to the suburbs is systematically compared to the situation of the French countryside. “There is a lot more money put into the cities, know that, than in all our rurality which is slowly dying!annoys Louis Aliot. Do you think that in rural areas, everywhere in France, they have these sports, cultural and leisure facilities? It does not exist ! That’s the luxury of a spoiled child! “.

The opposition is taken up on television sets by Jordan Bardella or Marine Le Pen, at the risk of fueling victim competition between deprived areas. The speech makes it possible to oppose two parts of the population which, seen from the RN, have the advantage of recovering the opposition made historically by the National Front between French “strain” et « the paper ». In turn, it makes it possible to set aside the social analysis of urban riots and to favor that of a problem of education and immigration. “In difficult neighborhoods, there is a lot more public money pouring out than in our countryside. And yet, in our isolated countryside, there are no such phenomena.asserts Ms. Le Pen on France 2.

“A great policy of the countryside”

This speech, the triple candidate for the presidential election has held since her political beginnings, opposing “those who break” To “those who do not complain”. The latter have long been, in its mouth, the middle classes and the inhabitants of the mining area of ​​Pas-de-Calais, where it is established electorally; they are now in “our campaigns”, a particularly vague notion. Rural areas, which are characterized by their low population density, cover very heterogeneous realities on all levels… and in particular that of access to equipment and public services.

You have 30.58% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.