Flag-waving, police and the Marseillaise: the Olympics win approval of French far-right
While numerous MPs and MEPs from France’s far-right Rassemblement National (RN) party were fiercely critical of the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, notably amid claims that it included a scene insulting Christianity, they have now settled down into virtually unanimous approval of the games themselves. Taking to social media to applaud the successes of French athletes, and in particular those from the police and armed forces, the RN representatives also express their delight at the flag-waving fervour of supporters and the massive police presence in the capital. All of which prompted one far-right MEP to comment that the games “very much resemble the France that we would like”. Youmni Kezzouf reports.
AfterAfter the controversy whipped up over the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games, a smile has returned to the faces of France’s far-right politicians. They have been largely pleased with the atmosphere of the ensuing games, hailing an omnipresence of police, French flags flying everywhere and daily renditions of France’s national anthem amid the continuing successes of the country’s athletes.
