The National Rally rejected Macron’s criticism after the Trappes attack, as student protests and media disputes shaped the election campaign.
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France’s far-right National Rally rejected President Emmanuel Macron’s criticism of its role in encouraging racist rhetoric on 29 October, party MP Jean-Philippe Tanguy said on TF1.
Tanguy said the party opposed all forms of hatred and blamed Macron’s record in office for the political climate, according to Le Parisien’s account of the interview.
“Mr Macron is the one who has been running France for nine years; he is the one who lets hateful ideologies flourish,” Tanguy said in French.
His response followed Macron’s interview with HugoDécrypte on 28 October, in which the president accused the National Rally of allowing racist rhetoric to gain ground. Macron also accused the radical-left France Unbowed of allowing antisemitic rhetoric, according to parliamentary broadcaster LCP.
The exchange followed a deadly attack in Trappes, west of Paris, as France approached its presidential election in spring 2027. Political disputes over the attack have coincided with more than a month of student protests and demonstrations over living costs.
Macron described the attack as racist terrorism. Pengo Bossio Wangi, a 26-year-old Frenchman of African origin, was killed and several other people were seriously injured, AFP reported.
The president called for national unity and announced a national tribute for the victims, to be led by Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, according to AFP.
A separate dispute between the National Rally and Le Monde concerned the newspaper’s account of material allegedly connected to the party.
The party announced plans to bring defamation proceedings over the reporting, AFP said. Le Monde subsequently published a correction and reported that anti-terrorism prosecutors denied political leaflets had been found in the suspect’s vehicle.
That correction changes an element of the dispute: the newspaper’s initial description of leaflets in the car cannot be treated as an established finding.
The school protest movement has continued alongside these arguments. Students have demanded better buildings and learning conditions, and the abolition of Parcoursup, the university admissions platform, according to AFP’s reporting on their meeting with Macron.
In his HugoDécrypte interview, Macron urged pupils to resume lessons after the school holidays, saying the government had heard their demands, LCP reported.
He also expressed sympathy for injured demonstrators and referred to injured police officers. Macron said investigations had been opened when police were involved in conduct outside normal practice, according to LCP.
The government had previously identified school buildings, timetables, university admissions and teacher cover as areas requiring action. Government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon outlined those priorities after the cabinet meeting on 14 October, Public Sénat reported.
Student representatives nevertheless called for mobilisation to continue after meeting Macron on 23 October, according to AFP. Their demands included replacing absent teachers and improving the conditions in which pupils study.
