Far right groups became more active after deadly attacks by Islamic extremists in 2015-2016. The French far right first made its mark in 1984, when the National Front of Jean-Marie Le Pen won 10 seats in the European Parliament. Reconquête's ambitions go further than just a protest movement, said Jean-Yves Camus, a leading expert on the far right. The farmers are the embodiment of “la France profonde,” the very essence of what makes France French, that the far right claims to represent. ___Ganley has reported on the French far right for The Associated Press since 1984.

Source: ABC News February 19, 2024 08:08 UTC