The Rassemblement National candidate for the French constituency in Switzerland and Liechtenstein was interrupted by activists at a public meeting in Geneva, before being forced to cancel a planned campaign event in Lausanne.
Déborah Merceron, who was ousted in the second round of the early parliamentary elections taking place this Sunday, tells us about her experience. Regard Libre how she dealt with the intervention of anti-fascist activists at the public meeting she organized in Geneva on June 26. She also talks about the cancellation of a public meeting the following day in Lausanne, and more generally about the difficulties of campaigning under the banner of the Rassemblement National (RN) in Switzerland.
Le Regard LibreHow did anti-fascist activists go about disrupting the rally you organized in Geneva?
Déborah Merceron: The building where I organized this event has several entrances and exits. So activists were able to get into the room where I was speaking without a hitch. About thirty antifas entered the premises and chanted «No quarter for fachos, no fachos in our neighborhoods», while looking at us menacingly and blocking the exits. I spoke to the waitress, who said she didn't know what to do. I was finally able to escape through an outside door thanks to the intervention of the café owner, while the activists continued to shout their slogan.
This is a free country: you can't ban activists from entering a public place to voice an opinion different from your own.
Yes, of course. But it's outrageous to use fascist methods of intimidation and violence. They wanted to deprive me of the right to speak and to exercise the fundamental right of freedom of assembly. They have also deprived voters of the guarantee of the normal exercise of the electoral process. These individuals do not share some of my political positions, but that does not give them the right to challenge the freedom of expression of a candidate in democratically organized elections. It is unacceptable that threats and intimidation have won out over freedom of expression and democracy.
How did you respond to this attempt at intimidation?
I was unable to lodge a complaint against the individuals who interrupted my meeting, as I don't know their identity. But I have filed a handrail. This means that I have reported the event to the police, without the need for the prosecutor to initiate proceedings.
And I imagine you'll have to call on security forces in the future. Does this seem normal to you?
Yes, we'll have to. Non-RN candidates don't necessarily need to call in security guards when they hold a public meeting in Switzerland, since no one comes to bother them. Following the attack, I received many messages of support from voters, but none from my opponents. They certainly think this violence is legitimate. Those who present themselves as democrats and do not condemn are accomplices. They imply that against an RN candidate, one has the right to act in this way. I find that shocking. Furthermore, the activists who interrupted my public meeting are close to La France insoumise. I'm deeply disturbed by the way these people affiliated with this political formation are trying to change the rules of the democratic game to their advantage.
Did the candidate of the Nouveau Front Populaire (a coalition of France's main left-wing political parties) in Switzerland encourage these activists?
I don't know whether the New Popular Front candidate in the Swiss Abroad constituency encouraged the action, but she didn't denounce it. The media in French-speaking Switzerland could have reported more on the radical nature of some other members of the Nouveau Front populaire. In Avignon, for example, the leaders of this electoral alliance invested Raphaël Arnault, an S-registered member of the Jeune Garde. This is an antifa organization whose actions are violent and anti-Semitic.
Following the interruption of your rally in Geneva, you have also had to cancel the one planned for Lausanne...
That's right. While I took no action to prevent my opponents from expressing their views, threats from certain far-left militants prevented a public meeting we had planned to hold in a Lausanne café from taking place.
Some titles in French-speaking Switzerland reported on these two incidents. Generally speaking, what do you think of the way the Swiss media have treated your candidacy?
I think the media could have paid more attention to my candidacy, since it attracted almost 15% of the electorate. That's seven times more votes than in 2022. However, Radio Télévision Suisse (RTS) initially had no intention of inviting me to the debate it was organizing between the main candidates in the constituency for the French in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. I found out during the program, when the Nouveau Front Populaire candidate took the floor. Nevertheless, I'd like to thank RTS for finally inviting me as the candidate of France's leading party. The day after the first round, Le Matin headlined «The French in Switzerland don't want the Rassemblement National», even though I won almost 15% of their votes. I expected more impartiality from the French-speaking press, since this is a French election in Switzerland.
Write to the author: antoine.leveque@leregardlibre.com
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