France’s Mounting Authoritarianism Is Paving the Way for Fascism
- David Broder
Soldiers’ and police unions’ calls for action to save France from chaos show how fascist ideas have spread within the state. For decades, neoliberal governments have increased these repressive bodies’ powers — and today, they’re preparing the ground for a Le Pen presidency.
A member of the tactical unit of the French National Police patrols the streets of Tours, France, as police search for a man suspected of causing minor injuries to a police officer on June 15, 2021. (Guillaume Sourvant / AFP via Getty Images)
It’s been two months since a thousand active military personnel signed a letter grimly foreboding “chaos” in French public life — and threatening to intervene to do something about it. In a time in which Emmanuel Macron’s administration is dissolving basic civil liberties, police unions and outspoken army officers are trampling on the standards of democratic civilian government.
Fascism hasn’t come to France yet — and Marine Le Pen has sought to mainstream her Rassemblement National party’s image. Yet this is based not just on a moderation of the old far right but also a broader radicalization of French politics around identity, Islamophobia, and security — thus preparing the way for large parts of the state apparatus to rally behind her project.
Ugo Palheta is author of The Possibility of Fascism, soon to be translated into English. He spoke to Émilien Bernard about the authoritarian turn in France, Le Pen’s project, and how we can stop the downward spiral toward fascism.
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