Thousands of people marched peacefully through Orléans on Saturday to protest against the far-right National Rally as the party held its congress a few kilometres away, with demonstrators calling for solidarity and voicing their concerns about 2027.
Issued on: 24/10/2026 - RFI
A person holds a placard against Rassemblement National's president Jordan Bardella, as people attend a demonstration against "racism, fascism, and imperialism" as the French far-right Rassemblement National (National Rally, RN) party holds its congress in Orleans, France, 24 October 2026. REUTERS - Stephanie Lecocq
Saturday's march drew 13,000 people, according to the prefecture, while organisers put the turnout at 26,000. Families, trade unionists and left-wing politicians joined the procession, which dispersed without incident in the early afternoon.
Authorities had deployed nearly 3,000 police officers and gendarmes amid fears of violence, placing the city centre under tight security. But demonstrators described a friendly atmosphere, with many saying that coming together helped ease their anxiety about the far right’s prospects.
“It’s important for us to be here, to turn out in large numbers, and that reassures us,” said one protester, Marine Pons, who had come to “voice her fears”.
“This is the second time the far right has been on the verge of winning, and I’m afraid for 2027. But we want to stop being afraid.”
Families turn out for solidarity
For several participants, concern for their children’s future was a powerful reason to march.
“I never expected the RN to be in Orléans one day; it frightens me, especially for my children,” José, 56, who attended with his daughter.
“I’m from an immigrant background, and frankly, I don’t want a country run by them.”
Fouad, 30, said he wanted to challenge racism through peaceful protest.
“I’m of Moroccan origin, so I’m pretty much everything that fascists and racists hate in France,” he said. “We’re supposed to be a united community, but we can see that’s not the case for some people. Today, we want to make our voices heard and counter this in a peaceful way.”
Marchers chanted slogans including “Macron resign, Le Pen in prison”, while some placards challenged the RN’s use of Joan of Arc as a patriotic symbol.
“You will reclaim neither the maiden on fire nor her city,” read one sign, referring to the “Maid of Orléans”, who helped lift the English siege of the city in 1429 during the Hundred Years’ War.
Several left-wing politicians attended, including Bally Bagayoko, the France Unbowed mayor of Saint-Denis, and Trappes mayor Ali Rabeh.
Both accused the RN of xenophobia and of stoking tensions following an attack that killed one person and injured five others, which President Emmanuel Macron described as “racist”.
Rabeh criticised RN leaders Jordan Bardella and Marine Le Pen for portraying Trappes as “Kabul” or an “Islamist republic”, arguing that such rhetoric could encourage someone to believe they should wage war against it.
Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure stressed that demonstrators were not seeking to prevent the RN from meeting.
“No one” was stopping the party “from holding its congress”, he said, while accusing it of responsibility for a climate that had been “toxic, racist and xenophobic for a very long time”.
“We are not going to attempt a forceful takeover of the RN’s congress,” Faure added, describing the protest as a symbolic reminder of the dangers he associated with the far right.
CGT trade union leader Sophie Binet also sharply criticised the RN, calling it a movement “that will never be like the others”.
“It is a party that is dangerous for our democracy and our Republic; it is a racist, anti-Semitic and sexist party,” she said.
After the march, participants headed towards an “anti-fascist village” in a former cloister near the cathedral. Organisers expected around 4,000 people for round-table discussions and association stalls, with concerts planned for the evening.
Meanwhile, at the RN congress a few kilometres away, party activists re-elected Bardella as president on Saturday afternoon. He was the sole candidate.
(with newswires)
Saturday's march drew 13,000 people, according to the prefecture, while organisers put the turnout at 26,000. Families, trade unionists and left-wing politicians joined the procession, which dispersed without incident in the early afternoon.
Authorities had deployed nearly 3,000 police officers and gendarmes amid fears of violence, placing the city centre under tight security. But demonstrators described a friendly atmosphere, with many saying that coming together helped ease their anxiety about the far right’s prospects.
“It’s important for us to be here, to turn out in large numbers, and that reassures us,” said one protester, Marine Pons, who had come to “voice her fears”.
“This is the second time the far right has been on the verge of winning, and I’m afraid for 2027. But we want to stop being afraid.”
People attend a demonstration against "racism, fascism, and imperialism" as the French far-right Rassemblement National (National Rally, RN) party holds its congress in Orleans, France, 24 October 2026. REUTERS - Stephanie Lecocq
Families turn out for solidarity
For several participants, concern for their children’s future was a powerful reason to march.
“I never expected the RN to be in Orléans one day; it frightens me, especially for my children,” José, 56, who attended with his daughter.
“I’m from an immigrant background, and frankly, I don’t want a country run by them.”
Fouad, 30, said he wanted to challenge racism through peaceful protest.
“I’m of Moroccan origin, so I’m pretty much everything that fascists and racists hate in France,” he said. “We’re supposed to be a united community, but we can see that’s not the case for some people. Today, we want to make our voices heard and counter this in a peaceful way.”
Marchers chanted slogans including “Macron resign, Le Pen in prison”, while some placards challenged the RN’s use of Joan of Arc as a patriotic symbol.
“You will reclaim neither the maiden on fire nor her city,” read one sign, referring to the “Maid of Orléans”, who helped lift the English siege of the city in 1429 during the Hundred Years’ War.
Several left-wing politicians attended, including Bally Bagayoko, the France Unbowed mayor of Saint-Denis, and Trappes mayor Ali Rabeh.
Both accused the RN of xenophobia and of stoking tensions following an attack that killed one person and injured five others, which President Emmanuel Macron described as “racist”.
Rabeh criticised RN leaders Jordan Bardella and Marine Le Pen for portraying Trappes as “Kabul” or an “Islamist republic”, arguing that such rhetoric could encourage someone to believe they should wage war against it.
Peaceful protest continues
Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure stressed that demonstrators were not seeking to prevent the RN from meeting.
“No one” was stopping the party “from holding its congress”, he said, while accusing it of responsibility for a climate that had been “toxic, racist and xenophobic for a very long time”.
“We are not going to attempt a forceful takeover of the RN’s congress,” Faure added, describing the protest as a symbolic reminder of the dangers he associated with the far right.
CGT trade union leader Sophie Binet also sharply criticised the RN, calling it a movement “that will never be like the others”.
“It is a party that is dangerous for our democracy and our Republic; it is a racist, anti-Semitic and sexist party,” she said.
After the march, participants headed towards an “anti-fascist village” in a former cloister near the cathedral. Organisers expected around 4,000 people for round-table discussions and association stalls, with concerts planned for the evening.
Meanwhile, at the RN congress a few kilometres away, party activists re-elected Bardella as president on Saturday afternoon. He was the sole candidate.
(with newswires)
Orléans tightens security ahead of far-right National Rally party congress
Orléans says it will impose exceptional security measures ahead of the far-right National Rally's congress this weekend, when counter-demonstrations against "racism, fascism and imperialism" could drawn up to 25,000 people.
Issued on: 22/10/2026 - RFI
Marine Le Pen is running as the RN candidate in the 2027 presidential elections, with Jordan Bardella (left) as her pick for prime minister if she wins. REUTERS - Sarah Meyssonnier
France’s National Rally (RN) will officially launch its 2027 presidential campaign in Orléans this weekend.
Party president Jordan Bardella is expected to be re-elected to his position unopposed, while Marine Le Pen will formally launch her campaign to become France's next president at a rally on Sunday.
The RN is currently polling as the frontrunner in next April's election and a recent poll found that Le Pen's popularity had been given a further boost following the rioting and looting seen in various French cities last weekend.
In a video address on 18 October, Le Pen said the urban violence amounted to a “deep crisis of confidence and authority” and accused the government of having "lost control of everything".
The congress is expected to attract 5,000 people on Saturday and 10,000 on Sunday.
Sizeable counter-demonstrations are also planned. Around 50 organisations have called for a protest against “racism, fascism and imperialism”, scheduled to begin at 10.30am on Saturday, starting outside the city’s cathedral.
Security sources told French news agency AFP that between 20,000 and 25,000 people were expected to attend.
'No chaos here'
“My aim is to protect Orléans. There will be no chaos here, there must not be,” Serge Grouard, the mayor of the city, said at a news conference on Thursday.
He said the numbers expected were unprecedented for Orléans and urged residents to use their common sense, while vowing to take a tough stance against any looting or vandalism.
“We are anticipating everything we can anticipate,” he said, announcing that several public venues, including museums, would close and scheduled performances would be cancelled.
Tram services will be suspended throughout Saturday, while bike share scheme bicycles will be removed from the city centre.
“We have no guarantees, but we are trying to reduce this uncertainty as much as possible,” Grouard said.
The mayor said he could order all shops to close if violence broke out, depending on how the situation developed.
Large-scale security operation
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced on Wednesday that an “extremely substantial security operation” would be deployed in the city, following a request by RN vice-president Sebastien Chenu.
Large numbers of mobile security forces will be assigned to protect both the party congress and the demonstrations that have been officially declared.
Olivier Faure, leader of the Socialist party, said he would take part in Saturday’s demonstration to protest against “the normalisation of the far right”, but would take care not to “disrupt” the RN's congress.
“What worries me is the fact that nobody wants to acknowledge that this party [RN] could, next year, actually come to power and instil state-sanctioned xenophobia,” he told Franceinfo on Thursday.
However, he added: “I have no intention of disrupting their conference or staging a coup."
Other political figures, including Bally Bagayoko, mayor with the far-left France Unbowed party, and Sophie Binet, head of the CGT trade union, have also said they will attend.
"We’re not worried at all, because the law allows order to be maintained, people to demonstrate peacefully and the largest group in the National Assembly to hold its conference," RN lawmaker Philippe Ballard told RFI, adding that the party had been "promised" sufficient police protection.
"But really, this is where we’ve got to in France: you need virtually exceptional security arrangements just to hold a party conference."
Le Pen was found guilty of embezzling European Union funds last year, a conviction upheld by the Paris Court of Appeal in July.
However, she has made a final appeal to the Court of Cassation, France's highest appeals court, which could rule by early April 2027 on whether she is eligible to run for election.
(with newswires)
France’s National Rally (RN) will officially launch its 2027 presidential campaign in Orléans this weekend.
Party president Jordan Bardella is expected to be re-elected to his position unopposed, while Marine Le Pen will formally launch her campaign to become France's next president at a rally on Sunday.
The RN is currently polling as the frontrunner in next April's election and a recent poll found that Le Pen's popularity had been given a further boost following the rioting and looting seen in various French cities last weekend.
In a video address on 18 October, Le Pen said the urban violence amounted to a “deep crisis of confidence and authority” and accused the government of having "lost control of everything".
The congress is expected to attract 5,000 people on Saturday and 10,000 on Sunday.
Sizeable counter-demonstrations are also planned. Around 50 organisations have called for a protest against “racism, fascism and imperialism”, scheduled to begin at 10.30am on Saturday, starting outside the city’s cathedral.
Security sources told French news agency AFP that between 20,000 and 25,000 people were expected to attend.
'No chaos here'
“My aim is to protect Orléans. There will be no chaos here, there must not be,” Serge Grouard, the mayor of the city, said at a news conference on Thursday.
He said the numbers expected were unprecedented for Orléans and urged residents to use their common sense, while vowing to take a tough stance against any looting or vandalism.
“We are anticipating everything we can anticipate,” he said, announcing that several public venues, including museums, would close and scheduled performances would be cancelled.
Tram services will be suspended throughout Saturday, while bike share scheme bicycles will be removed from the city centre.
“We have no guarantees, but we are trying to reduce this uncertainty as much as possible,” Grouard said.
The mayor said he could order all shops to close if violence broke out, depending on how the situation developed.
Large-scale security operation
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced on Wednesday that an “extremely substantial security operation” would be deployed in the city, following a request by RN vice-president Sebastien Chenu.
Large numbers of mobile security forces will be assigned to protect both the party congress and the demonstrations that have been officially declared.
Olivier Faure, leader of the Socialist party, said he would take part in Saturday’s demonstration to protest against “the normalisation of the far right”, but would take care not to “disrupt” the RN's congress.
“What worries me is the fact that nobody wants to acknowledge that this party [RN] could, next year, actually come to power and instil state-sanctioned xenophobia,” he told Franceinfo on Thursday.
However, he added: “I have no intention of disrupting their conference or staging a coup."
Other political figures, including Bally Bagayoko, mayor with the far-left France Unbowed party, and Sophie Binet, head of the CGT trade union, have also said they will attend.
"We’re not worried at all, because the law allows order to be maintained, people to demonstrate peacefully and the largest group in the National Assembly to hold its conference," RN lawmaker Philippe Ballard told RFI, adding that the party had been "promised" sufficient police protection.
"But really, this is where we’ve got to in France: you need virtually exceptional security arrangements just to hold a party conference."
Le Pen was found guilty of embezzling European Union funds last year, a conviction upheld by the Paris Court of Appeal in July.
However, she has made a final appeal to the Court of Cassation, France's highest appeals court, which could rule by early April 2027 on whether she is eligible to run for election.
(with newswires)
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