Eric Zemmour - France's new Le Pen?

By Edouard Huemer, S7FRA, ESF

Who is Eric Zemmour?

Eric Zemmour is a French far-right political journalist, who is rumored to participate in the next French presidential elections, coming up in 2022. Besides being politically active, he also works as an author and television host, however, he first became known for his controversial opinions on immigration and on Islam, for which he got sued multiple times.

His political views

Although he is often described as being racist, xenophobe and Islamophobic, he rather describes himself as a Gaullist or a Bonapartist, comparing himself with two of the most important figures of French- and world history. These political ideologies state that the country, in this case France, can only be strong if it is united and in consensus, thus forming a national sovereignty. Zemmour demands national independence, meaning that he also wants to be separated from any international organization and alliance, for example NATO. The culture also plays an important role, as he wants a 100% French society, meaning no immigration, no globalization and no internationalization. This would, obviously, be the opposite of what the European Union is trying to achieve.

Popularity going through the roof

As visible on the graph, his popularity appeared from nowhere. He first appeared during the first round of the presidential elections in June, with a popularity of 5.5%. Since then, the numbers have tripled, as he is now in second place, justn behind the current president Emmanuel Macron.

Zemmour and Putin?

The only foreign country he seems to support is Russia, as he publicly stated that “Moscow is far more reliable than the Americans, the British or the Germans”. Him and Putin share many beliefs, especially when it comes to NATO and to a possible French-Russian alliance.

Immigration and Islam

He often criticized the way France was welcoming every immigrant and culture, going as far as calling the English influence in France a symbol of submission, arguing that a language defines a culture and that his country has become the prey of globalization. Furthermore, he considers Islam incompatible with France, by comparing it with Islamism, which is clearly inappropriate and disrespectful towards the Muslim community.

Conclusion

The presidential election will start in 6 months, and he hasn´t officially announced his candidacy yet, leaving many open questions, as he does not have any political party, or program yet. The man who considers himself the French patriotic savior clearly has a chance to get to the second round, which could result in a potentially huge threat for the European Union as well as for the entire world.