Paris is preparing to mobilize the military at protests after the possible victory of the right-wing National Rally party in early parliamentary elections, the French press reports.
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“A few weeks before the parliamentary elections, which are decisive for the future of the country, in which the National Rally is the favorite, the military command is in a state of readiness,” the French media says.
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According to army sources, “all scenarios” for the development of events after the election results are being studied. A victory that would bring party leader Jordan Bardell to Matignon Palace, the prime minister’s office, “could mean trouble on the streets and in the suburbs.”
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“This is what we are preparing for, the army’s job is to anticipate. We are preparing for the fact that it will be difficult. Given the current situation, the Internal Security Forces (FSI) may be involved in large numbers, the army also risks being involved extensively,” – the source of information said.
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It is noted that territorial intelligence fears an escalation of the situation, and the police “will be glad to receive reinforcements” from the army in the event of pogroms.
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“We have 250 thousand police officers and gendarmes, and this number cannot be increased. The question of involving the army will be asked again,” Eric Henry, a representative of the French National Police Alliance said.
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According to him, there is a particular danger on July 7, when the final second round of elections will take place. He said police had been instructed to ensure that as many personnel as possible were available on this and subsequent days “in the sensitive context” of the imminent start of the Olympics.
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He recalled that during the pogroms in France last summer after the police killed a teenager, “many commissariats lacked uniforms”: shields, grenades, helmets, water cannons, and protective equipment.
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In the June 9 elections to the European Parliament in France, the right-wing National Rally party was more than twice as ahead of the coalition of supporters of President Macron, gaining 31.36% of the vote. Macron subsequently announced the dissolution of the National Assembly, the lower house of the French parliament, and the holding of early parliamentary elections in two rounds – June 30 and July 7.
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According to polls, more than a third of French people are ready to vote for the National Rally party, while the presidential coalition may receive less than 20% of the votes.
