France Braces for Potential Unrest with 30,000 Police Deployed for Election Runoff

As France prepares for the decisive second round of its snap parliamentary elections, concerns over potential violence have prompted the deployment of a staggering 30,000 police officers across the nation. The far-right, anti-immigration National Rally party (RN), led by Marine Le Pen, harbors hopes of securing a majority in parliament, fueling apprehensions among authorities.

Gérald Darmanin, the Interior Minister, has announced that 5,000 police officers will be stationed in Paris and its surrounding areas, aimed at ensuring that "the radical right and radical left do not take advantage of the situation to cause mayhem." This heightened security measure underscores the government's determination to maintain order and safeguard the democratic process.

The tense political climate has already witnessed incidents of violence and intimidation. Prisca Thevenot, the government spokesperson, and her team were reportedly attacked on Wednesday evening while putting up campaign posters in Meudon, a suburb of Paris. Four individuals, including a minor, were arrested in connection with the incident, which left Thevenot's deputy and a party activist injured.

Thevenot, a daughter of immigrants and a mother to mixed-race children, expressed her anxiety in the face of a "complicated" political climate during an interview with French broadcaster TF1. She cited repeated and intensified racist attacks, noting that perpetrators no longer hide behind anonymity but openly display their prejudice with a sense of pride.

The escalating tensions have not been limited to a single party or faction. Marie Dauchy, a candidate for the National Rally party in Savoie, claimed to have been attacked by a shopkeeper at a market on Wednesday. Similarly, Nicolas Conquer, a candidate for The Republicans, reported being assaulted while distributing election flyers in the city of Cherbourg on Tuesday.

Amidst the turmoil, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal has called for rejecting the "climate of violence and hatred" that has taken hold, asserting that violence and intimidation have no place in France's democracy.

Sunday's decisive second round is anticipated to result in the far-right, anti-immigration RN becoming the largest party in parliament, regardless of whether it secures the 289 seats needed for an absolute majority to form the next government. Both the centrist grouping of President Emmanuel Macron and a broad left-wing coalition have withdrawn more than 200 candidates from the final runoff in a joint effort to limit the far right's seats.

While the exact number of seats the far-right RN and its allies could win in the 577-seat National Assembly remains uncertain, polling by Harris Interactive for Challenges magazine on Wednesday suggested they could secure up to 220 seats. Marine Le Pen, however, has expressed confidence in the party's ability to secure an absolute majority if voter turnout is high.

As the nation holds its breath, the deployment of 30,000 police officers underscores the gravity of the situation and the authorities' determination to maintain order during this pivotal moment in France's political landscape.