Marine Le Pen experienced a tumultuous visit to the Made in France trade fair in Paris on Friday, November 13. Arriving at the Porte de Versailles exhibition center to promote her proposals on purchasing power and French production, the National Rally candidate was met with boos, hostile slogans, and insults from dozens of high school students and supporters of La France Insoumise (France Unbowed). For approximately 45 minutes, the former RN leader's walkabout unfolded in a particularly tense atmosphere, despite the presence of a large security detail. Following this incident, Marine Le Pen directly implicated Jean-Luc Mélenchon, accusing his supporters of attempting to disrupt her visit and denouncing the "physical pressure" she considers characteristic of the far left.
Upon her arrival, Marine Le Pen had intended to focus her remarks on the economy. Speaking to journalists, she defended the need to "give the French people more purchasing power" and proposed prioritizing national businesses in public procurement. However, the visit quickly took on a political dimension, punctuated by the slogans chanted by her opponents. Among them were several high school students from the Paris suburbs, some of whom openly declared their support for La France Insoumise (France Unbowed ). Members of the National Rally Youth responded with cheers for their candidate, leading to exchanges of slogans in the aisles of the exhibition hall. Protected by her staff and security personnel, Marine Le Pen continued her visit, smiling at the protesters. The second part of her visit ultimately proceeded without incident.
"A hallmark of the far left," accuses Marine Le Pen
When questioned about the disruptions, Marine Le Pen stated that she was not surprised by the presence of her opponents. Jean-Luc Mélenchon himself had been to the event earlier in the day. "I knew he would be there before me, so I suspected his supporters would still be hanging around," she declared. The National Rally candidate denounced "physical pressure that should no longer be tolerated by anyone," adding that "it's a hallmark of the far left." She also questioned Jean-Luc Mélenchon's authority over his supporters, finding it worrying that, in her view, he was unable to enforce the rules of democratic debate. These accusations stem from her political assessment: no publicly available evidence suggests that the leader of La France Insoumise personally organized or encouraged the disruptions.
The incident comes just months before a presidential election in which Marine Le Pen and Jean-Luc Mélenchon are leading in the polls. Tensions between their supporters have escalated in recent weeks, fueled by disagreements over immigration, urban violence, and the role of different political parties in the public debate. Marine Le Pen has asserted that it will take "more than a few loudmouths" to prevent her from campaigning. The protesters, for their part, expressed their opposition to the National Rally candidate through slogans and demonstrations.
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