French far-right leader to visit Occupy Wall Street

[pampango]

The French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen has been known to blast “U.S. imperialism.” Her party, after all, is all about chest-thumping French nationalism, so there’s little room for embracing les yankees.

The question is, how will she will be greeted at Zuccotti Park? Le Pen does share some affinity with the Occupy movement. She is a consistent critic of global capitalism; before she travels to New York she will deliver commentary on global economic crisis in front of the International Monetary Fund headquarters in Washington, D.C.

But the National Front stands on the extreme right edge of French politics, with an obsession for national sovereignty and its corollaries: closed borders and safe streets. Critics say the Front’s tough stance on immigration has crossed the line into racism and hate-mongering. When the trip was first announced, Le Pen had sought meetings with Democrats, Republicans, and, most notably, Tea Party leaders. Supporters say the latter is a movement whose electoral success she’d like to replicate.

Like the Tea Party, the Front National considers that the system has run amok and that the average, working folks are getting the short end of the stick. When Sarah Palin skewers the Washington elite, Marine Le Pen assails Brussels bureaucrats, who impose their rules and regulations on French citizens, but also Wall Street and a globalized economy that “steals” jobs away from deserving French nationals.

In a country where flags are seldom seen, the Front National extols the virtues of the nation and refuses to relinquish an inch of sovereignty: if elected, Marine Le Pen would take France out of NATO and the euro, and would not submit to the jurisdiction of international courts. The National Front talks tough on immigration, blames Islam for many of the world’s woes and is the only significant party to even speak of “family values.”

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/europe/france/111101/french-far-right-marine-le-pen-occupy-wall-street-front-national

It should be interesting to see how she is received at OWS and which American politicians she meets with. She hopes this visit will help her in next year's presidential election against the conservative and the socialist candidates.

[ellenrr]

1. It's not that the Front National "blames Islam"

they are completely disgustingly racist, and want to foment race war.

I can't see why anyone in OWS would meet with this fascist unless they (the OWS person) is very very naive.
Hope not.

[Are_grits_groceries]

2. Form a committee with many minorities represented

to greet this loathsome slug. Escort her wherever she goes . The greeters and escorts should wear slogans that would be anathema to her. If she stumbles into some point that one could agree with, don't express ANY positive thoughts. That will be spun to the detriment of #OWS. Answer everything with some vague and bland phrase such as, "That's interesting."

As much as one would like to engage her in a debate, you cannot win or convince her of anything. She wants confrontation.

Be very polite and don't take any of her racist bait.

Make sure everything is recorded with multiple cameras that are good quality and will clearly pick up everything.

Everyone will probably have to exercise maximum restraint.

DO NOT GET STARTED ARGUING WITH HER BECAUSE THAT WILL BE THE STORY AND WHAT THE MEDIA WILL REPORT.

If OWS refuses to meet with her at all, they can't top her from wandering around. Take charge of the situation from the start so it won't spin out of control or be directed by her.

Don't know if these ideas will work, but they better be prepared!

[pampango]

3. Marine Le Pen's awkward day on Capitol Hill

http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/11/03/marine_le_pens_awkward_day_on_capitol_hill

Last week, we noted that controversial French National Front leader Marine Le Pen had scheduled a meeting with presidential candidate Ron Paul on Capitol Hill this week to discuss, among other topics, their shared interest in the gold standard. Perhaps spooked by the media coverage of the anti-immigrant leader, Paul's office seems to have canceled the meeting, prompting a comic chase scene through the halls of Congress yesterday. Roll Call's John Stanton reports:

With Paul on the floor voting, Le Pen hunkered down for 50 minutes in his office, and a tight-faced Paul eventually pushed his way through the reporters, staring straight ahead as he was asked repeatedly why he was meeting with the controversial leader.

"He has been a visionary on this subject, as we have been visionaries on the economic crisis that today besets Europe," Le Pen said as she made her way to a meeting with Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.), one of the freshman class's most hard-line conservative lawmakers.

Le Pen had also attempted to meet with Rep. Dennis Kucinich, whose office was unsurprisingly "not able to agree to the specific details."

Le Pen's chilly reception from Congress is an interesting contrast to Dutch politician Geert Wilders' reception in D.C. in 2009. Wilders' visit was sponsored by Sen. Jon Kyl and he was invited to screen his controversial film Fitna for Republican lawmakers. If anything, one would think that Le Pen, who has attempted to shift the Front toward the mainstream and toned down the inflammatory rhetoric, would be less toxic than Wilders, who wears his anti-Islamic beliefs on his sleeve.

For more on the upcoming French election, see Eric Pape's profile of Socialist candidate and current frontrunner Francois Hollande.

[pinboy3niner]

4. I'll trust OWS to know how to respond

The folks there are politically savvy enough to understand how Le Pen is trying to use them--and Le Pen is likely to find her ploy backfiring.

[JVS]

5. "The question is, how will she will be greeted at Zuccotti Park?"

I'll take "with a total lack of recognition" for $500, Alex