PARIS, France: More than 50 politicians and campaigners have been assaulted during the French election, the interior minister announced on Friday, highlighting the increasing tension ahead of this weekend’s run-off votes.
“This campaign is short and yet we already have 51 candidates, substitutes, and activists who have been physically assaulted,” said Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin on BFMTV. Over 30 individuals, including far-right and far-left militants, have been arrested.
President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to call parliamentary elections weeks before Paris hosts the Olympics has heightened tensions, especially after the far-right National Rally (RN) party outperformed his centrist alliance in European elections. The RN won 39 seats in the 577-seat National Assembly in the first round and is expected to gain more.
In efforts to prevent the RN from securing an absolute majority, centrists and a new left-wing alliance are intensifying their campaigns. Recently, government spokeswoman Prisca Thevenot and her team were attacked while putting up campaign posters in Meudon. Although Thevenot was unharmed, a colleague and supporter were injured.
To secure the vote, 30,000 police officers, including 5,000 in Paris and its suburbs, will be deployed on Sunday. Prime Minister Gabriel Attal condemned the violence, stating, “Violence and intimidation have no place in our society.”
