Feminist groups in France protested on Sunday against the prospect of Marine Le Pen’s party governing the country even as the National Rally pulls in a greater proportion of women voters.
The several thousand protesters marching in Paris were reckoning with a difficult reality: Le Pen has made progress in casting her party as a defender of women’s rights despite the distrust among many feminist groups.
"Marine Le Pen has succeeded with her effort to de-demonize her party, but we won’t be fooled,” said Chloe Rougeyres, 32, holding a sign opposing Le Pen’s deputy, Jordan Bardella, 28, who would be the party’s choice for prime minister should it win a majority of seats in parliament. "The problem is that he may fool some people who aren’t following politics closely.”