On 9 June, Jordan Bardella, leader of France’s far-right National Rally, addressed an enthusiastic and jubilant audience with remarkable composure and confidence. A sea of young faces stood cheering, waving flags and soaking in his every word. At 28, Bardella, a Frenchman of Italian descent (his maternal family immigrated to France in the 1960s), gave an impassioned speech underscoring the party’s commitment to closed borders. In the wake of the European Union election result which saw his party secure over 31.4 per cent of the vote and 30 seats in the European Parliament, their success, he said, heralded “a new hope” for France.
It was enough to jolt Emmanuel Macron into swift action. Despite having three years left of his presidential term he called a shock snap election. His was a different hope. A hope, he said, that “when the time comes, men and women of goodwill who will say no to extremes will come together”.
Time will tell whether this is a clever tactical move or a reckless political gamble, but what is certain is Bardella’s leadership seems to have played no insignificant part in propelling his party’s ascent. In the space of a few days, he has become the poster child of how the far right has captured the hearts and minds of a new generation. There is a new mood building across Europe and the young are driving it.