France’s National Rally party has vowed to designate Antifa and other far-left groups as terrorist organizations if it comes to power in next year’s presidential election. Jordan Bardella, the party’s leader and Marine Le Pen’s pick for prime minister, made the pledge during a televised interview, framing the move as necessary to prevent escalating political violence.
‘Armed Wing of the Far-Left’
Bardella accused Antifa of serving as the “armed wing” of Jean-Luc MĂ©lenchon’s La France Insoumise (LFI) party, warning that their street actions risk pushing France into “civil war.” He cited recent unrest, including riots allegedly stoked by far-left activists, as evidence of a growing threat. “This group, which maintains certain ties to deputies from La France Insoumise, ought to be classified as a terrorist organisation,” he said on CNews.
Crackdown on Protests
Beyond banning Antifa, Bardella proposed barring individuals on security watchlists from participating in demonstrations—a measure currently applied to violent football hooligans. He framed the policy as protecting the right of “decent, law-abiding people to demonstrate calmly and peacefully” while curbing what he called the far-left’s “totalitarian impulse.”
LFI Under Fire
The National Rally leader also targeted MĂ©lenchon’s party directly, accusing LFI of fueling anti-France sentiment and authoritarian tendencies. He pointed to calls from LFI lawmakers to ban conservative media outlets like CNews over alleged racism, as well as remarks from a local mayor comparing himself to Robespierre and advocating censorship of opposing views.
Echoes of Past Violence
Bardella referenced the killing of a conservative student in Lyon earlier this year, allegedly by a far-left group linked to an LFI lawmaker, as proof of the movement’s dangerous trajectory. The case, which saw two former parliamentary aides arrested, intensified National Rally’s push to isolate LFI politically.
Nice Mayor Éric Ciotti has echoed Bardella’s calls, warning of a “French Intifada” driven by Antifa and migrant crime networks. While the Trump administration designated several European Antifa groups as terrorists in 2020, none were based in France—a gap National Rally now aims to close.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2026/11/08/le-pen-party-vows-to-classify-antifa-as-a-terror-group-in-france/