Le Pen questions EU-level alliance with AfD, spelling trouble for ID unity

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen questioned the collaboration with the German AfD over allegations that some members were involved in discussions about deporting German citizens with migration backgrounds, prompting her French competitor Eric Zemmour to rush to the German far-right’s defence.

Pressure has been mounting on the AfD after investigative newsroom Correctiv revealed that some party members had attended a secret meeting in Potsdam where participants discussed how foreigners and minority-ethnic German citizens could be pushed to leave the country.

The revelations sparked outrage and solidarity protests across German cities over the weekend.

The tremors have now reached the European right as Le Pen, no longer the party president but still, the leading figure of the Rassemblement National party (RN), which sits with the AfD in the Identity and Democracy (ID) in the European Parliament, distanced herself from her German allies.

“We will have to discuss differences as important as these and see whether or not they will have (…) consequences for our ability to work together in the same [European party] group,” she told reporters at a press conference in Paris on Thursday.

Le Pen, who continues to be RN’s figurehead in the French National Assembly, said that she was “in total disagreement with the proposal that might have been discussed or decided on in the context of this meeting [in Potsdam]”.

Le Pen was particularly keen to clarify her party’s position on the issue of deporting ethnic minorities, euphemistically dubbed ‘remigration’.

“We have never advocated for ‘remigration’ in the sense of withdrawing the French citizenship from people who have acquired it, even under conditions we dispute,” she said.

There is, therefore, “strong opposition” between the RN and the AfD, she insisted.

RN and AfD are both currently part of the far-right ID group in the European Parliament, of which RN is the second largest in terms of MEPs after Italy’s Lega, with AfD coming in third.

A split between the two parties could be a real blow to the ID group, especially as party insiders told Euractiv that the group is still without a common programme ahead of the EU elections.

AfD speaks of ‘misunderstanding’

But Le Pen’s comments were dismissed by Maximilian Krah, the AfD’s top candidate for the EU elections, who told Euractiv that they were probably “based on misunderstandings” about the party’s official policy, “which we will be happy to try to clear up”.

“We currently have no evidence of any attempt by the French to exclude us and consider this unrealistic,” Krah said.

“The relationship with our French colleagues remains good and cordial,” he added.

Krah was previously accused of supporting Reconquête! leader Eric Zemmour, Le Pen’s hard-right rival in the 2022 French presidential elections, which Krah subsequently denied.

Nevertheless, Krah’s views on migration are close to Zemmour’s, as both have previously referred to the ‘Great Replacement’ conspiracy theory, suggesting ulterior motives behind increased migration to Europe.

Zemmour slams Le Pen, charms the AfD

Somewhat tellingly, Zemmour rushed to defend the AfD against Le Pen.

“[Zemmour] does not understand how Marine Le Pen dares giving lessons to [Germans] on how they intend to defend their people from immigration,” a Reconquête! Executive told Euractiv France.

“Eric Zemmour proposed re-immigration of dual nationals flagged with an S card [individuals considered to be posing a serious threat to national security], foreigners and criminals,” the executive added.

The comments are evidence of the growing competition on the right and the rivalry between Le Pen and the more radical Zemmour.

Since Zemmour christened his party, several RN members have defected to Reconquête! These include Le Pen’s niece, Marion Maréchal, who will head the party’s list for the EU elections.

Four Reconquête! MEPs from the RN party currently sit as an independent group in the European Parliament, like Fidesz, the party of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, and the Italian Five Star Movement.

However, if any Reconquête candidates obtain seats in the European Parliament following elections in June, they are expected to join the right-wing European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group.

(Paul Messad | Euractiv.fr, Nick Alipour, Kjeld Neubert | Euractiv.de)

(Additional reporting by Théophane Hartmann)

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