From MP editorial: Marion Maréchal (born 1989) is from her mother's granddaughter Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder and then honorary president of the National Front (FN) and niece of Marine Le Pen.
She was a associate of the National Front, but in 2017 she withdrew from active politics after returning the FN towards the center and changing the name to Rassemblement National [National Unity]. For 5 years she ran the Institute of Social, economical and Political Sciences (ISSEP), a private school to which she became CEO. She supported Erik Zammour in the presidential election, and will now be the lead candidate for his Reconquęte organization in the European Parliament election. The interview with Marion Maréchal was published on the Hungarian portal "The European Conservative":
Your support for Éric Zemmour and the organization [Reconquist – ed.] at the highest of the presidential run has sparked many comments. How do you view this decision in retrospect today?
"My decision to join Érica Zemmour led first of all to align my political views with his views. I share his views on identity and agree with him on social and economical issues – those I defended erstwhile I was a associate of the Rassemblement National (RN, formerly Front National). Moreover, Éric and I believe in the request for a right-wing coalition to guarantee that our ideas prevail. I do not regret it due to the fact that present I am taking part in a new, very promising political adventure that will let a truly right-wing organization to return to the French political scene. This fresh organization is essential in the face of the disgrace of the “right” which any Les Républicains (LR) organization leaders embody. It besides expresses actual demands – peculiarly economical and social – which disagree from the Rassemblement National [National Assembly Marine Le Pen – red] programme.
Did it not deprive you of the anticipation of "burdening the gap" between the various factions of the French right hand?
– I think it's precisely the opposite. It would be irresponsible if we didn't.They are engaged in elections where the stakes are to halt the large degradation of the French and the collapse of our country. The emergence of Reconquęte – already the 4th largest political organization in the country – can shuffle cards in the coming years. Across Europe, right-wing coalitions are coming to power: Hungary, Spain, Sweden, Italy, Denmark and the Netherlands. France cannot be an exception. 1 of our missions will be to guarantee that our country is part of this political reconfigurement and does not miss the course of history.
You are the face of Reconquęte – representing his youth, dynamism and attractiveness. Rassemblement National applies akin tactics to Jordan Bardella's candidacy, the current president of this party. But the press frequently sees the difference between Rassemblement National Marine Le Pen and Rassemblement National Bardelli. Is there any difference between you and Érik Zemmour from Reconquęte?
– I am a Reconquęte candidate in the European elections to be held on 9 June and Éric Zemmour is the president of our party. He will be at my side to strengthen us through his knowing of past and culture, and above all his extraordinary force of persuasion. Each of our political decisions puts in the context of the historical perspective, to which it brings powerful intellectual insight and cohesion. In this way, he will never be 1 of those penetrator politicians whose beliefs change depending on the polls. Éric and I complement each another in terms of age, our individual past and our political paths: Éric is simply a Gaullist and shaped his political conscience in the Charles Pasqua party. He is simply a kid of a judaic household from Algeria and the fruit of successful French assimilation. As far as I'm concerned, I'm the product of a national fight launched by Jean Marie Le Pen 50 years ago. I am a Catholic and parent of 2 small girls for whom I cannot accept the fall of our French – and more broadly – our European – civilization.
Marion Marechal
For our readers, French political disputes are sometimes hard to understand. Can you explain the differences between Reconquęte and Rassemblement National?
– These are not political disputes, but democratic elections. We are not proposing the same political projects. Reconquęte is simply a organization with a strong sense of identity. We are conservative and we advocate economical freedoms, which is not the case with others. However, this did not prevent us from proposing alliances in the parliamentary and European elections, which were rejected each time by the leaders of Rassemblement National and Les Républicains, despite strong support for the thought of this alliance among right-wing voters in all the polls.
For example, unlike Rassemblement National, we stay strong opponents of LGBT ideology and its consequences. They consider the right to adopt by gays and PMA without a father ("medically assisted procreation" in French) to be something obvious, but we don't. Members of the Rassemblement National say they are debating the legalization of foster motherhood, we are against. They want to include “right” in abortion in the French constitution, we do not. We are besides much more committed to defending the simplification of public spending, the simplification of stature, the fight against social welfare and the simplification of taxes than Rassemblement National.
Do you see any change in the rhetoric of the National Jordan Bardella? Do you think that cooperation is possible, at least at European level?
– While the thought of 1 group seems illusory, given the balance of power between national parties, it is entirely possible and desirable that different political groups, specified as Identity and Democracy (to which Rassemblement National belongs) and European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), vote together on certain texts. This has happened on many occasions.
At what phase are you talking to different groups in the European Parliament? Zemmour announced that he would like to join the ECR Group. What are your relations with the parties forming this group? Who would be your preferred partner if you were chosen?
– I have many formal and informal contacts with many European leaders, any of whom I have known for a long time, mainly from the EKR, specified as Fratelli d’Italia Giorgi Meloni, VOX Santiago Abasacala, Polish Law and Swedish Democrats. I besides met Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and president of the Hungarian Republic Katalin Novák in Budapest. present we are closer to the political line adopted by the ECR Group. The result of these elections will find the fresh composition of the individual groups.
What do you think of Giorgia Meloni's negotiating strategy with the European People's organization (EPP) Manfred Weber? Do you think that, at European level, a right-wing coalition between the ECR Group, the ID Rassemblement National Group and the EPP, akin to the "right-wing Soyusz" you call for at national level?
– This is the tragedy of Les Républicains: in Brussels they frequently support precisely what they condemn in France. For example, although they chose Mrs von der Leyen as shortly as the elections approached, they pretended to condemn the harmfulness of her policy as the head of the European Commission. These elections should make the ECE a fresh centre of gravity on the right of the European Parliament. The polls show that this is possible. About 10 MEPs in Reconquęte, who are promising us polls today, can besides contribute to this. If this happens, it can yet lead to a transformation of the European political scenery and force part of the European People's organization to challenge its earlier alliances. We must put an end to this unnatural majority, which extends from the EPP to the Renew Europe Group, through socialists and environmentalists. I am convinced that we can overthrow this majority, change the political line of the European Parliament and put an end to Mrs von der Leyen's rule.
You just returned from Lampedusa, where you saw the degree of the harm caused by immigration. What function do you see for the EU in managing immigration? Do you believe in the usefulness of contracts specified as the 1 with Tunisia? And what are the main points you intend to defend during the forthcoming European elections?
"The main objectives must be to halt the flooding of our continent by African people and to end the ongoing Islamisation of Europe. These concerns are shared by a large number of MEPs and I am certain that they will make an chance for unprecedented political convergence. That's why I wanted to have my first run journey to Lampedusa. This is simply a border crossing point for Europe as a whole, and in the face of this major challenge, a national consequence is not enough. It is advanced time we explained the function of Frontex, the European Border and Coast defender Agency. Let me remind readers that the erstwhile French director, Fabrice Leggeri, was forced to resign due to the fact that he wanted the agency to play its function in controlling and blocking illegal migration to Europe. Unfortunately, Ursula von der Leyen and the left want to usage the agency primarily to aid and support migrants.
We request to coordinate and pool our resources to organise a Mediterranean maritime blockade, like Operation Sophia [an EU military operation aimed at "neutralising" existing exile smuggling routes], without chartering boats with migrants to our ports, but alternatively turning them back to the ports from which they sailed. At EU level, we request to finance an extended information run aimed at Africa and Turkey, akin to the Australian run "No Way".
Asylum policy needs to be reformed and asylum seekers' requests should be dealt with outside Europe. To accomplish this, the EU will request to find hot spots in the countries of departure and conclude migration management agreements with African countries, as Giorgia Meloni and Tunisia wanted to do. We will gotta make major changes to all European regulations which presently restrict associate States' freedom to tighten up border control.
Finally, as far as I am concerned, the question of France's further membership in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) should be raised. ECHR case law prevents the French State from protecting the French people. A shocking example: on 30 August 2022, the ECHR condemned France for withdrawing exile position to 2 Chechen jihadists who swore allegiance to the muslim State and then expelled them under the pretext that they were exposed to ill-treatment in the country of origin.
What is Reconquęte reasoning about regulating immigration at European level? What do you think of the closure of borders between European countries in the Schengen area? Is this fair to countries specified as Italy which gotta bear the dense burden of controlling Europe's external borders?
– In Reconquęte our goal is not regulation, but reemigration. The goal is not to limit immigration, but to halt it. This is simply a civilised challenge, requiring European responses. As of January 2023, 124,000 migrants landed on Lampedusa, almost twice as many as in the same period in 2022. This is only the beginning, given the staggering demographic dynamics in Africa. More children are born in Nigeria all day than in the European Union.
In the face of this civilizational challenge, we will not defend France, leaving Italy to its destiny – it is neither fair to our Italian friends nor effective to the safety of the French. We absolutely request to review the functioning of the Schengen area. I agree with the erstwhile French Ambassador to Algeria, Xavier Driencourt, that we must think about limiting freedom of movement in this area to Europeans only. It is not average for a foreigner who is not a Schengen national to travel from 1 European country to another without any control, just due to the fact that he erstwhile entered the Schengen area.
The European elections are of course very crucial to your party. But erstwhile this interim election is over, what will Reconquęte be working on from now to 2027, which is inactive very distant?
– I returned to the political phase to add my brick to gain power in France and Europe. For now, I am focusing on the elections on 9 June 2024, erstwhile we hope to introduce as many MEPs as possible to the European Parliament to aid put an end to the progressive and immigration majority. If we accomplish this nonsubjective and the political centre of gravity of the European Parliament shifts to a conservative right, Europe's destiny can change.
The interview was released in the winter edition of The European Conservative of 2024, Number 29:46-50.
photo of wikipedia
