Was it really necessary to debate in isolation for two hours for the members of the National Rally to confirm that they are in agreement on the migration issue? Tuesday March 26, a stone’s throw from the National Assembly, the far-right party held its “General States of Immigration”. Any resemblance to the event of the same name organized by the RPR in 1990 is entirely welcome.
It has even been theorized at the RN: invoking the patronage of the Republican right party will serve to reassure reluctant voters. “Our program on immigration is very close to what the RPR proposed” assured Jordan Bardella on February 29 in front of an audience of journalists. In its eternal quest for respectability, the RN goes so far as to claim a Chiraquian heritage. What does it matter if the same Jacques Chirac, in 2002, refused to debate against Jean-Marie Le Pen during the debate of the second round of the presidential election. And too bad if the first version of the Estates General on Immigration was held precisely to combat the rise of the National Front.
Above all, no contradictions
Not holding a grudge for a penny, it is therefore to the RPR that the frontists dedicate their event. On the program for the two parts of this hermetic meeting: findings and solutions. Above all, no contradictions. 5:30 p.m. All perky, the Bouches-du-Rhône deputy Franck Allisio takes the stage to introduce the round tables, obviously very amused to quote Chirac, Seguin and Pasqua in front of a frontist audience.
He is followed by the speakers of the first round table entitled: “Migratory overwhelm: what are the facts and figures?”. And it is Thierry Mariani, former member of the RPR, who has since repented, who opens the debate. He quickly recalls that he himself was rapporteur of nine texts on immigration, made his mea culpa, and obtained absolution before passing the microphone. It’s the turn of Charles Prats, vice-president of the UNI, regularly cited by the RN for his expertise in the field of vital card fraud. “All this to tell you that we can estimate that half of social fraud is linked to immigration,” he concludes to the applause of the room. “Obviously an immigrant cannot, by nature, be delinquent but immigration structurally will cause delinquency” continues Alexandre Varaut, lawyer, former companion of Philippe de Villiers, now a candidate on the European list.
Round tables in isolation
Place, finally, to the pollster and head of the RN training school, Jérôme Sainte-Marie, who delivers his substantiated analysis concerning the place of the migration question in the electoral issue: “I cannot help but think that “radicalism on immigration largely contributed to the success and Nicolas Sarkozy’s success in 2007 owes a lot to this use of the theme of immigration.” We leave the final word to Alexandre Varaut. “Thanks to Marine and Jordan, we are at the gates of power, we are going there, we are almost there. Everyone must come together behind the RN,” he urges. “I can see that that is the truth, there is the good and there is the chance to win” How charming is the zeal of the newly converted. We look at each other, we nod. The young frontist guard congratulates itself under the benevolent eye of veterans who have returned from the right and are happy to have found their new lifeline.
The observation is drawn up. 6:30 p.m. already. Time for solutions and the second round table: “How can we regain control of our destiny?” Transgression moment, to begin with, staged by the mayor of Jouarre (Seine-et-Marne), Fabien Vallée, who is delighted to be able to participate in a working meeting with the RN. “It’s something that we don’t normally have the right to say,” assures the one who had already been supported by the Lepéniste party, already, in the 2021 departmental elections.
At his side, on stage, the two new war prizes of the far-right party, respectively numbers 2 and 3 on Jordan Bardella’s list: Malika Sorel and Fabrice Leggeri. One was an advisor to François Fillon during the presidential campaign – and would have, according to The chained Duckbombarded with text messages Emmanuel Macron last January to become minister), the other was boss of Frontex until 2022. They are accompanied by the former prefect Michel Aubouin, essayist and author, in 2016 of a report on the situation in the suburbs, which carries out live calculations: “Each immigrant couple, and their three children who will be born in the years to follow, will therefore experience a multiplier of five”.
Not much new
19 hours. Enough jokes. “We are coming to the end of our conference and we need to come up with some concrete ideas,” recalls Franck Allisio. Among them: the creation of a Ministry of Immigration, the establishment of a dialogue between the State and local elected officials, “making the life of illegal immigrants more complicated”, redefining the notion of ” asylum”, stop self-flagellation and move away from permanent repentance to facilitate assimilation.
Above all: “Act and not be afraid of displeasing the intelligentsia”. It’s time for Jordan Bardella to take the microphone to conclude, “perfectly on time”, Franck Allisio blushes with pleasure. “You have drawn up a precise assessment of the situation, taken a lucid look at the French decomposition, you have outlined the possibilities of a start, flatters the president of the RN who is striving for a right, who “spoke like us but governed like the socialists “. Ten minutes of conclusion, not much new. A message to voters: “immigration is not inevitable”. A new shocking formula: “To the maxim ‘come as you are’, we prefer ‘ become what we are'”.
Thus ends the first frontist conference inspired by the RPR, which once again proves to the frontist party that you are never better served than by yourself. And, as the mayor of Marignane, Eric Le Disses, co-founder with Franck Allisio of the new RPR and present at the event via a video, would say: “Long live the RPR, long live France and above all: have a good evening.”