France: National Rally Candidate Assaulted While Campaigning

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Facts

• A group of masked assailants wearing black reportedly assaulted right-wing politician Hervé Breuil of Marine Le Pen's National Rally (RN) party. The assailants beat Breuil while he was campaigning in the central French town of Saint Etienne.¹
• While Breuil and four other campaigners were handing out flyers, witnesses told local media the attackers insulted and threw rotten fruit at him and his group. Breuil was then hospitalized after being kicked.²
• While police said an investigation is underway, Le Pen took to X, formerly Twitter, to criticize the incident, which she called an attack by 'far-left extremists' who are 'prepared to do anything to sow chaos.'³
• Left-wing politicians also condemned the attack, with Unbowed France (LFI) party candidate Andrée Taurinya, who's campaigning in the same area as Breuil, saying her party 'would never attack any candidate.'²
• The attack comes amid a growing trend of political violence in the country, mostly against mayors and councilmen. In the first nine months of 2023, there were 2,387 such attacks, compared to 2,265 in all of 2022. The two-round election will take place from June 30 and July 7.³

Sources: ¹Reuters.com, ²Guardian and ³Arise News.

Narratives

• Right narrative, as provided by X.com. The far-left in France is acting violently to stop the rising popularity of the National Rally. Instead of defeating Breuil at the ballot box, their militant actions put him in the hospital. If RN is such a threat to democracy, why are its opponents the ones physically assaulting the democratic process?
• Left narrative, as provided by France 24. All political violence should be condemned, but this news should not blind us to the dark future of France should the National Rally take power. In the wake of their EU parliamentary victory, RN supporters were seen violently attacking members of the LGBTQ community. If given a legislative majority, such attacks against all minorities will become dangerously commonplace.

Predictions