Reactions from across the political spectrum, except from the far right, were provoked by the overtly racist behavior of National Anxiety member Marine Le Pen in the French National Assembly.

When black MP Carlos Martin Bilongo, who belongs to Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s Nupes coalition of the left, raised the issue of immigration, his far-right colleague Grégoire de Furnas yelled at him to “go back to Africa.” There was a pandemonium, as a result of which the rally was interrupted, and yesterday a demonstration in support of Bilongo was held outside the National Assembly in Paris. Yesterday afternoon, the French National Assembly imposed a two-week suspension on the deviant member of parliament. The decision was unanimously adopted by the NA Presidium.

The entire French political world, with the exception of the far right, condemned this episode. Emmanuel Macron was shocked by what MP Le Pen said, calling his words “unacceptable, whether they are spoken in parliament or outside it.”

For her part, Prime Minister Elizabeth Bourne said “there is no place for racism in our democracy” and announced sanctions against De Furnas. Jean-Luc Mélenchon demanded the most severe punishment in front of the National Assembly, where hundreds of people took part in a demonstration against racism.

The far-right politician called in the National Assembly for his black counterpart on the left to “return to Africa”.

For her part, Le Pen tried to stir things up by stating on Twitter that De Furnas was not referring to Bilongo, but to migrants transported by NGO ships. “The confrontation was provoked by our political opponents and will not deceive the French.”

Le Pen leaves

Today, the National Alert is organizing a conference to elect a new leader after Marine Le Pen decided to step down after 11 years at the helm of the party. The far-right party, formerly the Front National, was founded by Jean-Marie Le Pen, Marine’s father, who held the leadership position for 40 years.

For the first time in half a century, the leader of the French far right will not be called Le Pen. It is considered certain that the leadership will be taken by the only 27-year-old Jordan Bardela, a member of the European Parliament and a protégé of Marine Le Pen, who is eager to see her again run for the presidency of the French Republic in the 2027 elections.