The first campaign of "French Trump" Eric Zemour has become the most high-profile event in French politics in recent times. Tens of thousands of supporters chanted slogans against immigration in high spirits, while thousands of opponents demonstrated against Zemour for advocating racism. At one point, both supporters and opponents staged violent clashes such as punches, kicks, and chair-jerking. Zemur himself was "locked in the throat" by opponents at the rally.
Previously, Zemour has been appearing in front of the French public as a far-right writer and media personality, and recently, he officially announced his candidacy for the next French president. Zemour and former U.S. President Trump have a lot in common, they are celebrities with no political experience before running, cross-border running for president; both hold tough anti-immigrant stances, etc. Hence zemmour's nickname "Trump of France".
Infographic: French presidential candidate Zemour. Figure/IC photo
France will hold presidential elections in April 2022. Current polls show incumbent President Emmanuel Macron, far-right candidate Marina Le Pen and Zemur ranking the top three voters in terms of voter approval. Media analysis believes that Zemoul's addition will disrupt next year's French election and tilt the presidential candidates toward the right as a whole.
The first rally was narrowly "locked" by opponents
On December 5, Zemour held his first campaign at an exhibition center in the Parisian suburb of Villepinte.
"This election is of great importance, and if I win, I will reconquist the most beautiful country in the world." Zemur told the crowd. Zemour is a proponent of the Great Replacement theory, arguing that immigrants are replacing native French in their occupation of France.
Tens of thousands of supporters attended the rally, waving French flags and shouting slogans. Whenever Zemur mentioned reducing immigration in his speech, the crowd erupted in cheers; whenever Zemur mentioned Macron, the crowd booed.
Zemoor claimed 15,000 people attended the rally, but organizers said it was 12,000; reuters' site estimates estimated that about 10,000 people attended the rally.
In addition to supporters, many opponents of Zemour also came to the scene of the rally. Just as Zemur entered the venue and walked to the podium, an opponent suddenly rushed forward to try to "lock the throat" of Zemur, and the security guards at the scene quickly subdued the attacker and handed it over to the police.
On December 5, 2021, local time, in Villepinte, France, the first political rally of French presidential candidate Zemoor broke out among supporters and anti-racist protesters. Protesters were taken out of the venue by security guards. Figure/IC photo
According to the BBC, Zemur was injured in the wrist during the attack and doctors asked him to recuperate for 9 days. A spokesman for Zemoor's newly formed party, Reconquest, said they were planning to file legal proceedings against the attackers and praised Zemur for his "courage."
Opponents at the scene wore T-shirts emblazoned with the words "Say No to Racism." Shortly after Zemoor's speech began, physical clashes broke out between supporters and opponents, with some supporters picking up chairs and smashing them at people wearing anti-racist T-shirts, agencies reported. When the opponents were expelled from the rally venue, AFP reporters saw at least two with blood on their bodies. Separately, the BBC reported that thousands of opponents of Zemour were demonstrating in the streets.
Erin Kramer, a member of the Emergency Anti-Racism Group (SOS-Racisme), one of the organizers of the demonstrations, told AFP, "We wanted to have a nonviolent protest, but those people suddenly jumped out and started beating our people." ”
Olivier Fore, leader of France's left-wing socialist party, blamed Zemoul, saying his remarks had spurred the rallies and led to violent attacks on peaceful protesters.
On December 6, French prosecutors said they were investigating all the violence that took place during the Zemour rally. French authorities have been on high alert for Zemour's rallies, and protests by far-left activists and anarchists in late November disrupted Zemour's trip to the southern French city of Marseille, agencies france-presse said.
His ability to govern was questioned, and Zemur's approval rating declined
The French presidential election will be held in April 2022. A few months ago, some people in French politics predicted that Zemoor would participate in the 2022 presidential election.
On 30 November, Zemour officially announced his candidacy for president of France. Zemour uploaded a campaign video on social media expressing his political views, including a flood of anti-immigrant rhetoric, that "immigration is not the root of all the problems that France encounters, but immigration exacerbates all problems". Zemour said he would save France from decline.
In the video, Zemour accused Macron of failing to deliver on his reform promises, saying, "Now is not the time to reform France, but to save It." That is why I decided to participate in the presidential elections. ”
However, polls show that Zemour's approval rating has declined recently. More than a month ago, Zemour's poll approval rating was second only to Macron's; but the latest poll shows Zemour's approval rating slipped to third, behind Macron and another far-right candidate, Marina Le Pen.
The latest poll by Politico shows that Zemole currently has a 13% approval rating, Le Pen's support rate is 19%, and the current president Macron's approval rating is 24%.
According to EurActiv, a poll in early October showed Zemoor's approval rating of 17 percent, surpassing Le Pen as the second most supported French presidential candidate, behind Macron.
Tom Huyerden, a reporter for France's 24 television station, wrote that the recent decline in zemoor's poll support shows the public's distrust of zemour. Analysts say Mr. Zemour doesn't look like president, which, combined with his weaknesses in economic governance, has weakened his appeal.
Zemoul failed to achieve the transition from opposition to future head of state, tom Shielden wrote, adding that at first, Zemoul's anti-system, anti-established political agendas gave him the upper hand, but his lack of credibility as a presidential candidate.
French historian and political scientist Marcel Gauger said Zemoor's remarks made Le Pen look "like a normal candidate" and that his campaign revolved almost entirely around immigration, which he repeatedly stressed about its "growing political importance."
Agence France-Presse said polls concluded that Le Pen was a veteran political leader who would be better qualified for the presidency than Zemoor.
What are the similarities and differences between Zemour and Trump?
Zemour, 63, has long been a writer and television critic. From 2019 to 2021, Zemour served as the editor and panelist of Face à l'Info, a daily program on France's CNews television station. Zemoor has long held a far-right nationalist political stance against immigrants.
Zemour openly supports the "Great Alternative Theory," which holds that white Europeans are being replaced by non-Europeans as fertility rates in Europe's white population decline and immigrants enter. The theory has supporters in France, Germany, Austria and other countries, but many mainstream European media dismiss the theory as a conspiracy theory. Agence France-Presse said the "great alternative theory" was particularly popular among white supremacists.
In his campaign speech, Zemour vowed that if elected, he would reduce the number of immigrants in France to near zero, drastically tighten the naturalization process and deport unqualified asylum seekers and illegal immigrants.
In 2011 and 2018, Zemour was charged with inciting racial discrimination and inciting hatred against Muslims, and was fined. In addition, Zemur has been subjected to numerous allegations of racism, but most of these allegations have been dismissed.
Many media outlets have compared Mr. Zemour to former U.S. President Donald Trump, noting that the two have many things in common: a tough stance on immigration; a big reputation but no governing experience; and a performance in polls that surprises established politicians. The British "Telegraph" said that Zemour is "the Trump of France". Channel 4 said "French Trump" Zemour wanted to disrupt the French election.
Politician News Network said that although Zemoor has made difficult progress in the political arena, he has managed to attract a lot of attention, much like Trump. Zemour sees Trump as an example. A friend of Mr. Zemour said Mr. Zemour's answer to how to get into politics was simple: he was running a "Trump-style campaign."
However, the Wall Street Journal's commentary article argues that it is flippant to compare Zemour with Trump, who derives from different political traditions and caters to different popular sentiments. "Trump is an outsider to America's political elite, winning the election by supporting populist stances that both parties dismiss; but Zemour has been part of a circle of political elites, and he has packaged his views in a more mature way." Angelique Tarmore, a researcher at the Tikvah Foundation, an American think tank, wrote in the article.
Over the past few months, even politically unconcerned Parisians have noticed that "everyone is talking about Zemmour," Tom Wheelden said.
According to the analysis of "European Dynamics", it is difficult to say whether Zemur can maintain his campaign momentum. Agence France-Presse commented that if the current polls are followed, Zemur is likely to be brushed off in the first round of voting in the 2022 French election.
Beijing News reporter Chen Yikai
Edited by Zhang Lei, proofread by Liu Yue