Eric Zemmour: “We have no intention of conquering Europe”

Two years ago, Eric Zemmour was the most talked about person in France and a leading candidate to become the 9th president of the 5th Republic. The controversial journalist turned firebrand politician was vying for second place in the polls behind Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron. Importantly, he seemed to have what she lacked: the ability to continue appealing to the Catholic bourgeoisie while capitalizing on her widespread anger against mass immigration.

But then Russia attacked Ukraine, the atmosphere in Europe changed, and Zemur’s political fortunes sank as quickly as they had risen. He received 7% of the votes in the first round of the presidential election, finishing in fourth place by a wide margin. But his experience has not deterred him from running for high office, and he is now back in campaign mode with an eye on the European elections from June onwards.

He rejects the idea that his 2022 campaign was a failure. “I would say this is a big win,” he says. He points this out by founding “Reconquête!” Despite being re-elected to the same party just months before election day, it won more votes than the Republican Party and the Socialist Party, the two parties that ruled France from the time of Charles de Gaulle until the advent of Macronism. got the vote.

Zemur directly blames President Vladimir Putin’s aggression for derailing his candidacy. “The media didn’t talk about much else,” he says. His larger political theme – what he called the Islamization of France – was hampered by more pressing existential fears about a major war in Europe. “It had the effect of rallying around the flag,” he says. His poll scores have plummeted since late February. Zemur has criticized NATO and praised Putin in the past, which has landed him in political trouble. He was also accused of being cruel after initially saying France should be wary of an “emotional response” when it comes to accepting Ukrainian refugees.