How France's violent riots could hand the election to Marine Le Pen

The growing unrest could pull voters towards Le Pen's anti-immigrant, tough-on-crime platform

Marine Le Pen at a speech in Paris
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Last year was full of surprises: The United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, despite confident predictions that it would remain. Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election, after polls predicted Hillary Clinton's sure ascension.

So you'll forgive me if I'm hesitant to proclaim it impossible that Marine Le Pen, the leader of France's right-wing populist National Front, could win the French presidential election this spring. Right now, the smart money is still bet against her. But lately, everything has been turning up Marine.

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Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry

Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry is a writer and fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. His writing has appeared at Forbes, The Atlantic, First Things, Commentary Magazine, The Daily Beast, The Federalist, Quartz, and other places. He lives in Paris with his beloved wife and daughter.