Renee Buhr, political science and international studies professor at the University of St. Thomas College of Arts and Sciences, recently published an op-ed in The Hill on the rise of the far-right National Rally party in France.
From the article:
Ultimately, it is clear that the “normalized” image of the National Rally is a matter of branding, not substance. According to data collected by a human rights monitoring institution, National Rally’s electorate continues to exhibit autocratic, xenophobic and anti-Semitic attitudes far beyond the core electorates of the opposing parties.
National Rally’s plans for government include sweeping changes to the French electoral system that would favor it in the long term, and constitutional changes that will codify xenophobic, anti-immigrant attitudes into French constitutional law, according to Marine Le Pen’s own 2022 campaign materials.
The National Rally is not a “party like the others,” but the collective efforts of its own leadership and of its opponents have given it the appearance of one.
