Nearly half of Muslims living in France say they would consider leaving the country if Marine Le Pen is elected president in 2027, according to polling conducted for the French news magazine Marianne. The Ifop survey, which sampled 9,600 respondents — an unusually large figure for European polling — found that 46 percent of Muslim participants said they would think about “leaving France to settle in another country” in the event of a Le Pen victory.
Within that group, a smaller but more committed share has already made up its mind: 20 percent said they would “certainly” leave, a figure that would translate to roughly 1.5 million people. France is officially secular, which limits the government’s collection of data on religious affiliation, but recent estimates put the Muslim population at about 10 percent of the country’s 70 million permanent residents — meaning the 46 percent figure could represent as many as 3.5 million people considering an exit.
Breitbart reported on the findings and noted that pledges to leave the country around election time are not unheard of in French politics and often turn out to be exaggerated. Still, the poll suggests a level of unease that goes beyond rhetorical protest.
Concerns About Discrimination and Veiling
Asked about their motivations, 80 percent of Muslim respondents said they feared an “increase in attacks and discrimination” under a Le Pen presidency. More than a quarter of Muslim respondents — 27 percent — said they would try to conceal their religious practices in daily life if she took office. Among women who wear the hijab, 18 percent told pollsters they would consider abandoning the veil.
Le Pen’s National Rally has proposed banning the burqa in public spaces and has floated a national referendum on the measure. The Ifop data suggests such a policy could have public backing: 53 percent of French people said they oppose Muslim women wearing the veil in public “even if they choose to do so,” and 60 percent said they would support holding a referendum on a ban.
Another National Rally proposal — banning organizations tied to the Muslim Brotherhood — drew even stronger support, with 80 percent of French respondents in favor. Presse Agence, cited in the Breitbart report, noted that a majority of left-wing voters also back the ban. Even among Muslim respondents, 48 percent said they agreed with the measure, falling just short of an outright majority.
Mélenchon Voters Also Eye the Exit
Muslims are not the only group eyeing the door. Supporters of hard-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon — who appears well positioned to reach a presidential runoff against Le Pen — are nearly as likely to consider emigrating. According to Marianne, 43 percent of Mélenchon voters said they would consider leaving France if their candidate loses. With Mélenchon polling around 17 percent nationally, that proportion implies roughly 5.5 million left-wing voters contemplating a move abroad.
The poll also points to other forms of resistance short of emigration. Three-quarters of Mélenchon supporters said they would ignore new laws they consider “unjust” and join a general strike against the government — a level of planned opposition that the report says raises the prospect of political “gridlock” in the country. Mélenchon’s party has been accused of stoking recent riots in France for political advantage.
The survey results paint a picture of a deeply polarized electorate heading into the 2027 contest, with significant blocs on both the Muslim and hard-left ends of the spectrum saying they would refuse to accept a Le Pen presidency as a normal political outcome. At the same time, the data suggests some of Le Pen’s signature policies on religious expression and Muslim Brotherhood-linked organizations command majority support among the broader French public — support that would give any resistance movement a difficult political terrain to navigate.
The findings come as France’s political landscape continues to fracture along lines of religion, identity and class, with the next presidential election still more than a year away. Whether the declared intentions to leave or resist translate into action — or remain, as the report cautions, a form of protest hyperbole — is a question no poll can settle.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2026/10/16/46-of-muslims-would-want-to-leave-france-if-le-pen-elected-report/