Precis

"We have a history. We have a past we care about and it's very threatened."

Thais is a social media influencer and a fierce supporter of extreme-right presidential candidate, Éric Zemmour.

She's been convicted of causing public disorder and banned from Tik Tok. Now, she's promoting her anti-immigration message on YouTube.

"We live in a multicultural society and we've just seen that ... multiculturalism doesn't work," says Thais.

A few years ago, Thais's views were considered toxic. Now many in France fear they're becoming mainstream.

In the upcoming presidential race, candidates on the far-right are polling higher than ever before, around 30%.

The candidacy of Zemmour, a high-profile media commentator, has been a game changer. He's been convicted of hate speech three times and promotes the 'Great Replacement' - a debunked conspiracy theory that a master plan exists for Muslims to replace Europeans.

Marine Le Pen, daughter of Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founding father of France's modern far-right movement, is currently polling in second place, after incumbent President Macron.

The divisive rhetoric of Zemmour, Le Pen and their followers is making many in France's immigrant communities uneasy.

"I'm really concerned about the fact that people like Eric Zemmour are really pushing the boundaries of what is acceptable or not," says Ahmed, a deputy mayor on the outskirts of Lyon in France's southeast.

Reporter Michael Rowland takes a break from the News Breakfast couch to travel through France on the eve of an unprecedented election.

He visits Paris and the regions, talking with social media influencers, community leaders, workers and commentators.

In a nation where voter apathy means low turnout, the far-right's ability to galvanise people gives it a real advantage. Days out from the election, Le Pen is closing the gap with Macron.

The results of this election could change France forever.

Versailles. Macron greets EU dignitaries

Music

00:10

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: President Emmanuel Macron is helping France feel "Great Again." His role on the world stage in the Ukraine crisis has boosted his chances of winning the coming election. But underneath the pomp and ceremony, French society is cracking.

00:16

Thais interview

THAIS D’ESCUFON: We have a history, we have a past we care about and it's threatened.

00:36

Zemmour campaign speech

Éric Zemmour: "We have the power to choose a civilised destiny for our country.

00:45

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter:  Extremist, and presidential candidate, Éric Zemmour is pulling the election to the far-right.

00:49

Éric Zemmour: "Thieves. They are murderers. They are rapists.

00:57

Ahmed driving

AHMED CHEKHAB: I think Éric Zemmour is a terrorist. He has the exact same aims as terrorists, which is to divide France.

01:04

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: The core ideals of the Republic are at stake.

01:13

Rokhaya at window

Rokhaya Diallo: I don’t think we are really ready to face who we are in order move on.

01:16

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: This election is not just about

01:24

Rowland to camera. Super:
Michael Rowland
Reporter

who’ll be the French President for the next five years. It is much more than that. This is a nation founded on the principles of liberty, equality and fraternity, but it’s caught in a vicious battle for the French soul, where equality is hotly debated, and the country is tearing apart. 

01:26

Title: MARCH TO THE RIGHT

Music

01:45

Zemmour posters/Zemmour campaign rally 

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: Éric Zemmour burst into politics late last year. He’s been convicted three times for hate speech, yet he wants to be President of France.

01:54

Announcer: "The next president of the French Republic, Éric Zemmour.

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: His hard -line approach to immigration, Islam and security are now core election issues. One in three voters are saying they’ll vote for a far-right candidate this coming Sunday.

02:07

C-News program excerpt. Zemmour

02:23

A journalist and pundit, Zemmour became a household name after 2019, appearing on a nightly show on conservative C-news – where he blamed all France’s problems on French Muslim communities, and mainstreamed toxic views.

02:31

Éric Zemmour: "The 'Great Replacement' isn't new. It’s a demographic process that must be stopped."

02:47

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: The Grand Replacement is a debunked conspiracy theory that a master plan exists for Muslims to replace Europeans.

02:53

Éric Zemmour: "How do we stop the Great Replacement? By very firm measures against immigration."

03:01

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: He’s drawn a welter of young supporters.

03:07

Rowland walks with Thais

Thais D’Escufon is 22 and believes France is being destroyed. She wants it to be European and white.

03:16

Thais YouTube video

Thais d’Escufon: "There's so much criminality among non-European immigrants that the priority is repatriation to solve these security problems."

03:30

Rowland walks with Thais

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: Thais is one of a number of young far right influencers. She platforms the view that France is being overwhelmed, despite the fact there’s no mass migration occurring.

03:37

Thais interview in apartment

THAIS D’ESCUFON: I want to defend my identity as a French person. This is considered as, you are a racist, you are the worst thing you can be just for saying that you want – you love your country and you want to defend it and not the identity of the French to disappear.

03:49

BLM protest

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: At a Black Lives Matter protest in 2020, Thais boosted her profile with a stunt staged with the extreme nationalist group Generation Identitaire.

04:07

Generation Identitaire drop banner

THAIS D’ESCUFON: We showed a banner saying 'justice for anti-white racism victims'. And for saying that we, we were all banned off Twitter at that time, for the Generation Identity accounts, also on Facebook for showing the dangers of immigration.

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: Thais claims it was a matter of freedom of speech. She’s previously been convicted for creating public disorder.

04:23

Thais interview in apartment

THAIS D’ESCUFON: Multiculturalism doesn't work. The people who come in France from Africa don't want to live with us. We have many problems with these communities that don't want to really to live as a French person.

04:51

Rokhaya into building and up stairs

ROKHAYA DIALLO: Actually my parents were born French. They were French citizens of the

05:09

Rokhaya interview

colonial empire. So, you know, we've been French for three generations. 

05:18

Rokhaya talks with students

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: As a journalist and film maker, Rokhaya Diallo is one of the few prominent French voices in public discourse who is of African origin.

05:22

Rokhaya interview

ROKHAYA DIALLO: People like Éric Zemmour are really pushing the boundaries of what is acceptable or not.  The theory of Great Replacement is insane. It's insane because like, the reason why my parents immigrated from France is because they were colonised first.

05:40

La Courneuve GVs 

Music

06:00

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: Rokhaya spent her teenage years living at La Courneuve, on the outskirts of Paris. She felt the unacknowledged barrier dividing French people.

ROKHAYA DIALLO: I think that many of the young people from La Courneuve and from many other places have the feeling that there is an uncrossable border between them and the wealthiest part of the country.

06:05

Rokhaya interview

They know that there is a stigma on how they look, how they may speak. And it's difficult, because they're seen as a problem and they're stigmatised constantly by certain candidates for the Presidency.

06:28

Vaulx-en-Velin highrise apartments

Music

06:43

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: This project on the outskirts of Lyon in the south east, like many cite’s in France, houses people whose families came from former French colonies. They’re French citizens, but discrimination is rife. Problems of drugs and crime have been magnified by the media, and the election has renewed the focus. Vaulx-en-Velin became notorious decades ago.

06:52

Ahmed driving

AHMED CHEKHAB: This is where we had, in October 1990, the famous urban revolt.  

07:19

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: Ahmed Chekhab was just a boy when a young man died in an accident with police.

07:27

AHMED CHEKHAB:  The police were hiding on the left, he was driving up the street and the police cut him off and he died here. He was disabled. His name was Tomas. He wasn't the first to die, there were others before, but this was the last straw.

07:33

French news report

News Reporter: "Barricades. Cars on fire. Clashes between police and protestors.  Incredible scenes, terrible images from Vaulx-en-Velin.

07:49

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: The riot over the young man’s death lasted for days, but the stigma and discrimination endures.

AHMED CHEKHAB:  Liberty, equality, fraternity. It's beautiful, it's pretty,

07:59

Driving through Vaulx-en-Velin/Ahmed interview

but it has never been implemented anywhere. For the simple reason that with the rich and the poor there is no equality.

08:10

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: Ahmed’s now the elected Deputy Mayor of the district. He wants us to see there’s another side to the neighbourhood.

08:18

Ahmed talks with young men on street

Ahmed: "You're not keen on the camera? It’s the nice kind. It’s Australian TV. It’s not French TV."

08:27

AHMED CHEKHAB:  They didn't want to be filmed. 

08:35

Rowland and Ahmed walk

This is the building where I grew up on the 15th floor.

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: So they're throwing stones?

08:40

AHMED CHEKHAB:  "Because they've got a bad impression of the media. When the French media come here they tend to show a bad image, so these kids don’t like cameras much.

08:56

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: Tensions have ramped up again as immigration and Islam have become a key focus of the election.

09:09

Ahmed interview /Driving shots

AHMED CHEKHAB:  We've taken a hit since we were kids, being from working-class neighbourhoods, having foreign backgrounds, so we learned to live with it. I accept that people don't like me because of my origins or my beliefs or where I come from. For me, racism is a sickness, a sort of intellectual weakness. And I look at those people with sadness. Because the whole world has been made of mixing and migration since the dawn of time.

09:15

Rowland driving

News reporter: "This afternoon Emmanuel Macron is still ahead with 26.5% of the vote…"

10:01

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: The election is Emmanuel Macron’s to lose. He’s promising to fix the economy, but he’s looking over his shoulder as the Far Right gains ground.

10:11

City walls. Super: Aigues Morte, France

10:23

Rowland walks Aigues Morte

From the city where King Louis IX launched his crusade against Muslims in the 1200s,

10:19

Le Pen campaign rally

Marine Le Pen is biting at Macron’s heels.

Le Pen: "An attack every 44 seconds. A police officer attacked every hour. In the France of Emmanuel Macron, it's no longer the French who make the law, but the thugs who impose theirs."

10:35

Chant: "President Marine, President Marine."

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: Le Pen was runner up last election, where she wore the crown for right wing extremism. She’s moderated her image, and it’s working; she’s running second, and she's closing the gap.

10:51

Street Vox Pops

Woman on street: "She loves France. She loves French culture. And I think she will save France.  

11:04

Man on street: "Her vision is the most fair of all the candidates in the presidential election in France.

11:09

Le Pen speech at campaign rally

Le Pen: "With our bill against Islam there will be none of these protests, none of this funding, none of this clothing will be accepted on our land."

11:17

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: Far Right influencer Thais D’Escufon says Le Pen has gone soft.

THAIS D’ESCUFON: Marine Le Pen was for many years the only person who stand against a mass migration, but now, she just wants to have a softer image

11:34

Thais interview

because she suffered from many attacks, her being the only opposition to mass migration. Now she's not the only one.

11:51

Zemmour campaign rally

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: Making Le Pen look moderate, on the extreme Right is Éric Zemmour.

Éric Zemmour: "I will expel all criminals and sexual offenders who are foreign as soon as possible."

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: He has largely defined the election debate,

11:57

Thais interview in apartment

despite being a relative newcomer.

THAIS D’ESCUFON: I definitely support Éric Zemmour, who was a former journalist, he's no politician. I think he's very sincere. He really loves France. He's really determined to win because he understood that it's just very important to save France from disappearing.

12:15

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: This man is proudly, proudly racist. He's proudly Islamophobic. Why, why are you supporting somebody who has such abhorrent views? 

THAIS D’ESCUFON:  I don't think it's very true. In fact, he's not an Islamophobic as the media say he is.

12:34

Zemmour campaign rally

Éric Zemmour:  "Long live the women of France! Long live the Republic, and long live France!"

12:51

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: Last election, views like Zemmour’s were generally thought repugnant. Not any more.

WOMAN AT RALLY: I'm sure he will win.

12:58

Woman at rally

I really believe in him. And I am proud to be able to support a candidate like him.  

13:06

Couple at rally

MAN AT RALLY: He defends women against immigrants who attack them, who mistreat them, who insult them and who harass them.

13:12

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: What do you say to critics who describe Éric Zemmour’s policies as racist?

13:20

Man at rally

MAN AT RALLY: Éric Zemmour is Jewish, he has Arab origin; he’s from Algeria so! It’s like saying that a gay is homophobe; it’s nonsense.

WOMAN: He is not a racist.

MAN: When you want to disqualify someone in France you say "You are racist".

13:25

Melenchon rally

Crowd chant: "Resistance!"

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: On the left, economic nationalist Jean-Luc Melenchon has risen to third place in the polls, positioning himself as anti-racist and anti-Macron.

13:44

Melenchon: "Think about how billionaires have increased their fortunes by 500% in only 10 years."

13:58

Young man at Melenchon rally

YOUNG MAN:  We are Zemmour’s antagonists. We are the humanist left and we want to bring this perspective to the young people who want democratic, ecological and social change.  

14:11

Melenchon rally

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: The left is hopelessly divided, and the vote is split; Melenchon’s chances of winning are low.

14:22

Driving to Auxerre

Two hours south east of Paris is the Bourgogne region. It’s famous for its Chablis wines, and plentiful charm.

14:36

I’m heading for a small city which is something of a bellwether seat in France, and it’s grappling with problems that haven’t taken centre stage for most of the election campaign.

14:51

Auxerre GVs

Auxerre on the Yonne river, is an ancient city that grew rich from its timber and wine.  It’s enchanting, but its economy has been in decline for decades. It recently threw out its long-time left-wing mayor and

15:06

Marault rides to work on scooter

elected Crescent Marault. He’s from the centre-right of politics, and was elected, despite facing charges over a tendering scandal elsewhere. He’s into renewable energy, and promises to revitalise the local economy.

15:22

Marault interview

CRESCENT MARAULT, Mayor of Auxerre: Many workers have gone to other regions and so we've lost our know-how. We've lost qualified people, so we've lost economic advantage, so this place little by little has lost its vitality since workers have left.

15:37

Guilliet et Fils building

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: Reviving the city's spirits is no easy task. In its heyday 2,000 people worked here – at the world famous Guilliet et Fils. They made woodworking tools like lathes. After twenty years of decline and layoffs, it finally closed in 2010. Losing industries has dealt a blow to many regions in France.

15:57

Marault interview

CRESCENT MARAULT, Mayor of Auxerre:  We've ended up with declining demographics, an aging population, so what we're trying to do today, is revitalise this place, bring in workers and rejuvenate and reverse this demographic curve.

16:28

Joëel, Lucien and Phillippe into factory, looking through photos

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: These former employees of Guilliet have held on to the memories. The collection is being sorted and they are donating it to the city. They knew that Guilliet was being out-competed by low wage countries, but it’s closure was a huge loss. Joëel acquired all his trade skills at the company.

16:45

JOËEL: The time meant a lot. I began my apprenticeship at 14 and a half.

17:14

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter:  Lucien was head of Personnel and worked there for 33 years. Generations of Phillipe’s family worked there.

17:19

PHILLIPPE:  My grandfather, my great uncle were there. I met my wife at Guilliet’s. My dad worked at Gulliet's all his life My brothers worked for Gulliet. They were all dismissed too almost at the same time as me. I was pretty sad when it closed because it was the history of the city. I even wonder if there weren't one or two who committed suicide.

LUCIEN: There were indeed suicides.

17:29

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: Joëel left of his own accord and Phillippe re-trained in nursing, but they all see the rise of people who have work but who live on the margins.

18:00

PHILLIPPE: I often work with student nurses and I was surprised last year to realise that student nurses were going to a charity for food. I mean students forced to beg for food? That shocks me. Is this politicians' fault? It is complicated.

18:10

Rowland in car with Phillippe

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: I left with Phillippe who was off to buy petrol. He told me another 400 workers are about to lose their jobs locally; many people are doing it tough.

18:28

PHILLIPPE: At work, medical staff have told me ‘Phillippe, at the end of the month I've got nothing to eat'. 

18:43

Phillippe at petrol pump

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: A lot of people are disaffected and probably won’t vote. The soaring cost of living, and insecure jobs are their main worries,

18:56

Joëel, Phillippe and Lucien inside factory

PHILLIPPE: We hear it's all about racism and things like that.  We're constantly tuned into that. You know, in the villages where there aren't many foreigners the majority often votes for the extreme right. It's quite bizarre.

JOËEL: So there’s not a problem. We just faced COVID, now Ukraine. We don't see the political parties much.  My view is our president will win again.

PHILLIPPE: I think we all agree on that?

LUCIEN: Yes.

19:07

Marault visits factory

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: Meanwhile Mayor Marault is having the old locker room at Guilliet renovated. He hopes to attract start-up companies to operate here.

CRESCENT MARAULT, Mayor of Auxerre:  What politicians lack today is long-term vision.

19:49

If we really want to make French people vote again, we almost have to make them dream, we have to take them with us long term.

20:00

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: The mayor is stumped trying to name a presidential candidate who offers such a vision.

20:09

CRESCENT MARAULT, Mayor of Auxerre:  Currently, no… I have to vote, because I am the mayor and it’s a responsibility for me. But I don’t know who. I don’t know. Big problem for me.

20:17

Abdel providing food for Auxerre homeless

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: Four nights a week Abdelaziz Hajji sees the problems the election is forgetting on the streets of Auxerre. With help from other volunteers he helps feed and clothe people who live on the margins.

20:39

Abdel: "How are you guys? All OK?"

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: France has a celebrated social welfare net, but more and more are slipping through the holes.

20:57

This man and his nephew are regulars.

Abdel: "You guys are in for a treat."

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: They sleep in a car, and do odd jobs.

Abdel: "Be careful guys, there’s a hole in it."

Man: "Thank you Abdel."

Abdel: "Bon appetit guys. I’ll see you tomorrow."

21:06

Abdel into car

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: Abdel works as a nurse; he’s been helping homeless people since 2017.

ABDEL: These people are very nice, very sweet and above all very tired. We're there to give them support, moral support.

21:24

Abdel leaves food for homeless

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: Some aren’t home tonight.

ABDEL: We've been put in touch with this person.  We've asked him what he needs. He needs food, clothes from time to time, and above all moral support because he is a very nice person and needs to talk.

21:43

Unfortunately, the more time passes the more there are people like him.

22:38

Abdel driving

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: France still has one of the strongest economies in the world but many feel the country is losing its majesty and none of the candidates inspire much hope.

22:46

File footage. Notre Dame fire, terrorist attacks

When Notre Dame burst into flames a few years ago, it summed up the national mood. Islamic terrorism had shaken the nation and left it suspicious and fearful.

22:59

Protest march

Then the turmoil of the 'yellow vest' protests against economic reforms rattled its confidence.

23:19

Rebuilding of cathedral

The ancient cathedral is under repair, but deep social and cultural anxieties persist, and they are ripe for exploiting by the far right.

23:25

Vaulx-en-Velin highrise and people

AHMED CHEKHAB: You know, that the candidates on the right have never lived here. They don't know what they're talking about. It's easy. In simple terms, it's called populism.

23:41

Ahmed interview

It's easy to always blame the poorest, saying that they are the problem, when the problem is economic. It's hypocritical of them. They just use us as a scapegoat.

23:58

Rowland and Ahmed into convenience store

24:13

Rowland and Ahmed at kid's football match

Ahmed: "OK, go for it."

24:23

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: Ahmed feels it’s possible for people of Vaulx-en-Velin to overcome the barriers, but the politics makes it harder.

AHMED CHEKHAB: I think the solution is that there is justice and equality for all.

24:26

Vaulx-en-Velin highrise/Ahmed interview

The reality is residents of working-class neighbourhoods like Vaulx-en-Velin don't have the same chance of success because of the economic barriers, the barriers of discrimination, stigmatisation and all that, but nothing prevents their success. We've learned to live here with these difficulties and a person who wants to get out of it, they will fight and succeed and I want to be an example of that.

24:40

Ylyes and friends play football

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: Ylyes grew up here and now works as a construction site engineer in Switzerland.

25:08

Ylyes interview

"If Marine Le Pen wins, what would that mean for you?

YLYES HADJ-BOUZANE: For me? I'm going to live in Switzerland, sorry. Because I already visited 31 countries in the world. For me, I think that you will have another way of life in the world that everybody can live together.

25:17

Ylyes and friends play football

25:32

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: Kab Nasar studied in Australia for four years.

25:37

Nasar interview

KAB NASAR: Zemmour is someone we are scared about, because he's like Islamophobe, he hates Islam. We are Muslim. We can live together. I remember in Australia as well, like I went to Lakemba to Sydney, some places where everyone lives together. But here, now we just a bit worried.

25:41

Kids play football

AHMED CHEKHAB:  I think Éric Zemmour is a terrorist. He has the exact same aims as these terrorists to divide France.

25:59

Ahmed interview

We no longer have a leader. We don't have a real leader with concrete ideas to solve these social problems in France.

26:08

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: Turning to the French election,

26:19

Rokhaya interview

how do you explain the rise in popularity of the far right. People like Éric Zemmour?

26:23

Super:
Rokhaya Diallo
Filmmaker

ROKHAYA DIALLO: That's the reason why Éric Zemmour is so popular because he speaks about issues that are really burning in France. And you don't have an equivalent on the other side who would address those issues, but in a leftish way. And…

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: Why is that in your view?

26:31

ROKHAYA DIALLO: The thing is that there are not many people of colour in positions of power in France, who would be willing fully to address race. And the other thing is that traditional parties, they still have, they still are afraid to lose the votes of the people from the far rights.

26:47

Rokhaya at window

Music

27:07

Thais at window

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: The far right has grown in an alarming way, and Éric Zemmour’s influence will outlast this election.

27:12

THAIS D’ESCUFON: Not so many months ago, he was not even a candidate and now he has so many people ready to vote for him, and who stand for him. He gives us hope. Clearly, he's the candidate of hope.

27:19

Macron campaign rally

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: Last week Emmanuel Macron held his first campaign rally – he’s rattled by the far right’s surging popularity. He’s urging moderates to get out and vote.

27:33

Macron: "The danger of extremism has reached new heights today because, in recent months and years, hatred, alternative truths have been normalised in public debate.

27:47

Paris GVs

MICHAEL ROWLAND, Reporter: No matter who wins the election, Éric Zemmour has left an indelible mark, cementing in US style culture wars. The far right is testing what it means to be French. And the ideals of equality and fraternity that inspired the revolution may yet be beaten by the politics of hate and division.

28:04

Credits  [see below]

28:34

Outpoint

29:02