How the European far right discovered the dark side of the liberal tradition

The Front National secured the largest share of the vote in the first round of the French regional elections on 6 December 2015 and will aim to follow this up with success in the second round of voting on 13 December 2015. Ben Margulies writes that while the Front National is often regarded simply as a far-right party, Marine Le Pen has increasingly focused on the Front National’s role in defending liberal and republican values. He argues that this apparent liberalism reflects a wider trend across Europe for parties to cite liberal values as the basis for critiques of Islam.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: French regional elections, 2015: French parties scramble to halt National Front in second round of polling http://www.europeansources.info/record/french-regional-elections-2015-french-parties-scramble-to-halt-national-front-in-second-round-of-polling/

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