Le Pen rails against political violence

Marine Le Pen has condemned the attack on Donald Trump, warning France is not safe from such violence either.

The French right-wing politician and longtime leader of the National Rally (RN) party, Marine Le Pen, has condemned the assassination attempt against former US President Donald Trump. The incident has become a warning for France and the entire West about political violence, she suggested.

Le Pen made her remarks on Sunday to reporters amid the celebrations of Bastille Day, France’s national holiday. The politician further reinforced the message in a post on X (formerly Twitter), as she shared a video of the conversation about the attack.

“The assassination attempt against Donald Trump is a shock to everyone. There were serious injuries and one death among the Republican candidate’s activists. This is a warning for all of us, France is not safe from this violence,” she cautioned.

France itself has been experiencing tensions between opposing sides of the political spectrum, with hateful and inciting rhetoric escalating amid the RN’s victory in the EU Parliament elections, as well as major gains made by the party during the snap national elections that followed.

Earlier this week, Le Pen alleged the French left might have been plotting an insurrection of sorts, comparing the proposed “march” on the prime minister’s office to the 2021 Capitol Hill rioting in the US.

Former US President Donald Trump was attacked during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday when the suspect, identified as 20-year-old local Thomas Matthew Crooks, fired at him from a rooftop. The suspect was killed on the spot by a counter-sniper team after firing at least five rounds. Trump was grazed by one of the bullets, while one of his supporters was killed and two others were seriously wounded.