Jordan Bardella's role in making far-right views more socially acceptable in France.
Eric Zemmour, the leader of the National Rally party, had a childhood marked by poverty and violence in Seine-Saint-Denis, a working-class suburb in the northeast of Paris. He joined the far-right group at 16 and then later enrolled in the Sorbonne University, the prestigious institution in the French capital, but eventually dropped out.
In a 2021 interview with France 2, the public television network, Zemmour shared his personal struggles with financial insecurity and the presence of violence: "My mother had a hard time making ends meet. The urgency that brought me into politics has never left me."
Zemmour made history with the National Rally when he received 31% of the votes in the European Parliament elections of the same year, overwhelmingly defeating Macron's centrist party.
"A wave of hope is sweeping across France, and this is just the beginning," Zemmour declared on Sunday. He urged Macron to call for a national election, a bold move that the president ultimately dismissed, with the first round of the election scheduled for June 30.
Marine Le Pen, founder of the National Rally and Zemmour's mentor, selected the young politician to head the party in 2022, ending five decades of familial rule, and helped revitalize the French populist right.
Known as the solution to the party's efforts to limit antisemitism and racism, Zemmour continues to emphasize these policies while still asserting a revamped populist message. "We will act by expelling criminals, delinquents, and foreign Islamists who pose a threat to national security," he asserted during his campaign, which centered on limiting migrant movement and the possibility of mass expulsions.
The rise in popularity of Zemmour reflects how once-fringe viewpoints are now accepted in regular politics in many parts of France. Voter turnout for the far-right party skyrocketed in the European elections, with 32% of people aged between 18-34 voting for him versus 5% for the candidate from Macron's party, according to a survey by Elabe.
Senior political analyst Dominique Moisi observes that Zemmour has attracted a new generation of voters who feel disillusioned with the future, particularly concerning their job security and overall cost of living. These individuals believe France is experiencing a "crisis of identity."
"They (the youth) think the world is too dangerous, and they say we don't want to be inundated by migrants coming from the Middle East or Africa. We want to be at home," said Moisi.
In an attempt to reach out to a younger demographic, Zemmour has employed a successful social media strategy inspired by trendy platforms like TikTok. His posts, including wine tasting or doing shots, garner millions of views. Maintaining a relatable image through celebrities and viral content gives him a strong connection with his 1.5 million followers.
Zemmour's abrasive style, however, has been criticized by commentators such as far-left politician Jean-Luc Melenchon. "What does Mr. Zemmour want? We don't know. He says nothing. He's good-looking, but what's his program? Drowning immigrants in the sea."
Zemmour's lack of experience and occasional absences from the European Parliament, where he was first elected in 2019, have also been called into question.
But his political prowess was evident during a joint announcement by Eric Ciotti, the head of The Republicans, who surprised everyone by putting together a coalition with the National Rally for the upcoming legislative elections. The decision was quickly denounced by significant members of Ciotti's own party while Marine Le Pen, Zemmour's aunt by marriage, supported the move by calling it "a bold choice."
Zemmour and Le Pen, both political heavyweights in their respective ways, seem to have found in each other a highly efficient dynamic. These two formidable political icons, one a seasoned player in French politics and the other a disrupter of it, present a troubling risk: electing a previously ostracized right-wing party to power.
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The far-right ideologies popularized by Zemmour have resonated beyond France, with European elections seeing a surge in support for similar views across the continent.
Despite his controversial stance on immigration and national security, Zemmour's influence extends beyond France, sparking debates about the role of Europe in global affairs and its response to migratory pressures.
